Sources say that more than 2,600 US Energy Dept employees accepted a second resignation offer.

Two sources confirmed on Thursday that more than 2,600 U.S. Department of Energy employees have accepted the second round of resignations offered by the Trump administration. The hardest hit offices were those dealing with power grid stability, and those who provide loans for high-tech projects.

According to a document reviewed by, the number of staffers who took up the offer in the first round is now more than twice the original 1,217. One source said that the number of staffers could increase significantly in the coming weeks, as those over 40 get an extra 45 days to consider the offer.

The administration announced a number of initiatives in January.

Financial Offer

As part of an effort to shrink the federal federal government, President Donald Trump, along with billionaire Elon Musk, has announced that he will be laying off 2 million federal employees, including DOE staffers.

As the DOE announced that more layoffs could follow the initial round, it accepted resignations from its 17,000 employees.

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy secretary, sent an email this week to all department employees stating that "it's increasingly likely that we will be undergoing a large-scale RIF (reduction of force) in order to align our department with the broader strategic goals outlined by President Trump."

Wright wrote in an email that certain safety, national-security, law enforcement, and other essential employees might not be able accept a resignation offer.

A DOE spokesperson stated that they were unable to confirm the number staffers who accepted the second round offers, as the deadline for accepting them had been extended by a full day and a minute to midnight on Friday. The spokesperson added that all requests for acceptance of the offer must be approved.

Sources said that most of the staff at the Policy Office and the Grid Deployment Office responsible for maintaining the U.S. grid, and the Loan Programs Office, which offers low interest financing to projects in high-tech vehicles and renewable energy as well as nuclear and transmission, that have difficulty getting bank loans, had taken up the offer.

They said that the offices of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains and Clean Energy Deployment were also hard hit. (Reporting and editing by Marguerita Chôy.)

(source: Reuters)