'Going to increase prices on everybody': US energy department workers sound alarm over cuts
Source: The Guardian
Sat 31 May 2025 07.00 EDT
Last modified on Sat 31 May 2025 15.11 EDT
Workers at the US Department of Energy say cuts and deregulations are undermining the ability for the department to function and will result in significant energy cost hikes for consumers.
Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will raise energy costs for American households by as much as 7% in 2035 due to the repeal of energy tax credits and could put significant investment and energy innovation at risk, according to a report by the Rhodium Group. The non-partisan thinktank Energy Innovation calculated the average US household will see its utility bills rise by over $230 by 2035 as a result of cuts to renewable energy investments.
The rises are being driven in part by cuts to the agency. Trump has proposed cutting the department’s budget by $19.3bn.
More than 3,500 employees at the Department of Energy have reportedly taken delayed resignation buyout offers, though the Department of Energy declined to provide final numbers or an estimate on the departures. Some 43% of its workforce of nearly 16,000 employees was deemed “non-essential”, not including 555 probationary employees that were fired earlier this year.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/31/us-department-of-energy-job-cuts
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