DOE Terminations of Probationary Employees, including at the Bonneville Power Administration

In mid-February 2025, as part of the Trump administration's government-wide termination of probationary employees, the Department of Energy (DOE) fired probationary employees across the department — a total Senator Patty Murray placed at roughly 1,800 DOE employees. This included the firing of roughly 130 union-represented probationary employees at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) on February 14, 2025. About 430 positions at BPA were lost through firings, the rescission of 90 pending job offers, and additional staff departures through the deferred resignation offer and early retirement. Workers at DOE's Hanford nuclear cleanup site were also fired, prompting a statement from Senator Murray and a letter to Secretary Wright from Washington's congressional delegation warning that firing electricians, engineers, dispatchers, line workers, and cybersecurity staff threatened grid reliability. Within a week, BPA recalled about 30 of the fired employees while proceeding with the remaining reductions.