Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) led more than 100 House Democrats in a letter denouncing the firing of Energy Department (DoE) civil servants as illegal and blasting Energy Secretary Chris Wright for “stunning incompetence.”
At least 1,800 Energy employees were fired on Feb. 14, which the letter calls illegal under laws governing the employment of civil servants.
“The Administration’s actions fall far short of these standards and instead are the precise types of actions that Congress has consistently legislated against, in accordance with Congress’s Article I powers to regulate executive agencies,” the group wrote.
The letter highlights the recent firing of officials at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is responsible for the security of U.S. nuclear technology, as well as reported attempts to recall them that were frustrated by the lack of reliable contact information.
“This is concerning and demonstrates a shocking level of incompetence,” the members wrote.
In an interview with The Hill, Casten said the firings validated his long-held concerns about how much Wright, a former fracking executive, knew about the department’s functions when he took the job.
“Most of DoE’s budget is managing our nuclear fuel stockpile,” Casten said. “[W]hen you saw that they did these blanket cuts that all of a sudden… were laying off people who had unique knowledge of that stockpile of fuel chains where we’re sourcing from, that is a really, really big deal.”
In addition to concerns about leadership’s understanding of the department’s functions, the Illinois Democrat said the letter aimed to ask Wright “do you understand the consequences of what you’re doing? Did you have the authority to make that decision, or does the Secretary of Energy actually take orders from somebody else? In which case, who was that other person?”
He added that the firings came shortly after President Trump took the largely unprecedented step of abruptly firing several departments’ inspectors general, which he said raised further questions about “whether there’s anybody minding the kitchen.”
“In the words of Beyonce, ring the alarm,” Casten added.
The Hill has reached out to the Energy Department for comment.
