This proposal would temporarily block layoffs at the Department of Energy. Until the government passes full-year funding for the Department for fiscal year 2026, the agency cannot start any reduction in force or force career employees to leave their jobs, unless there is a clear reason based on misconduct, delinquency, or poor performance . The goal is to keep the workforce stable while budgets are being set .

For most people, this means DOE services and projects are less likely to be disrupted by sudden job cuts in the near term. Workers keep their positions unless there’s a documented cause to remove them, and normal rules for handling misconduct still apply .

• Who is affected: Career employees at the Department of Energy in the competitive service, career employees in the excepted service, and career Senior Executive Service appointees .
• What changes: No reductions in force or involuntary separations, except for cause tied to misconduct, delinquency, or performance .
• When: From now until full-year funding for the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 is enacted into law .