what you think the insights are.”
EIA employees said they believe the changes were made out of fear that spotlighting unwelcome findings and projections would make the agency a Trump target.“ There was a concern that any narrative we put out would be seen as ideological,” said Emily Schaal, an EIA statistician who worked on the U. S. report. Another EIA employee commented:“ Fewer people were going to get mad if we just threw the numbers out.”
Asked about the decision, EIA spokesperson Chris Higginbotham said the agency’ s leadership jettisoned the analysis because it“ decided it was most important to prioritize getting our AEO results to the public as soon as we could rather than waiting longer to complete a written market analysis.” He added,“ We do not make decisions about our data or our analyses with the goal of influencing outcomes or avoiding pushback.”
With regard to EIA’ s international report, Higginbotham said,“ We remain committed to maintaining our long-term energy modeling capabilities.” He asserted that the staff reductions will not compromise the agency’ s work.“ We are committed to meeting EIA’ s quality standards,” he said,“ and we will not publish any data or analysis that doesn’ t meet those standards.”
Meanwhile, the EIA has canceled or delayed other data reports and projects. Those moves, combined with the turmoil and departures, have devastated morale, according to current and former EIA employees.
Schaal was among those grappling with the tumult. After completing a doctorate in math, Schaal, 28, joined the EIA as a statistician in June 2024, working remotely from Michigan, and expected to remain at the agency for years. Instead, she was one of about 30 probationary employees who were abruptly terminated on Feb. 13, just weeks into the new administration. A lawsuit challenging firings at six agencies, filed by a union that represents government workers, prompted a federal judge to order their reinstatement, and Schaal returned to the EIA in mid-March.
“ Everyone at EIA had been through a month of torture,” she told ProPublica. Employees were dealing with chaos, uncertainty and fears of termination. In early April, Schaal accepted a new deferred resignation offer, with plans to depart on April 19.
On April 11, hours before a midnight deadline for the resignation program, EIA’ s acting administrator presided over an all-hands meeting with a top deputy, where he read a prepared statement urging employees to take the offer. Then the two managers gave assurance they had done“ a great job” defending the agency in a meeting with DOGE officials, who were certain to treat them all“ appropriately,” according to four people who attended the all-hands meeting.
Schaal was furious. After the session ended, she pounded out an angry email to the two bosses and then shared it with everyone who still remained at EIA.“ DOGE doesn’ t care what we do and will treat us the same as all other agencies: with contempt,” she wrote.“ Shame on you for falling in line and giving up without any perceptible effort to fight. Shame on you for keeping those you purport to lead in the dark. Shame on you for betraying the mission set to us by Congress and selling out the American people.”
On the following Monday, Schaal was summoned to a virtual meeting with her supervisor, where she was presented with a formal letter of reprimand for her“ unprofessional and disrespectful email,” as well as a second letter notifying her that she was being placed on administrative leave, a week ahead of her planned departure. The episode made her something of a hero among colleagues who remained behind, who have taken to sharing their frustrations with one another on private Signal groups.( EIA’ s spokesperson declined to comment on the episode. Neither DOGE nor the White House replied to requests for comment for this article.)
The EIA, whose director is a presidential appointee, typically chosen from among apolitical academic or industry figures, is poised to get new leadership. Trump’ s nominee is Tampa energy consultant Tristan Abbey, a self-described“ think-tanker” at conservative groups who has called U. S. dominance in natural gas exports a“ generational opportunity.” Abbey, 39, served as an energy staffer on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration. His financial disclosure reports $ 103,083 in“ senior fellow fees” since 2024 from the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and $ 435,833 in income from his consulting business, whose clients included Thiel Capital.( Abbey worked for Trumpfriendly billionaire Peter Thiel’ s investment firms before going into government.) Abbey’ s consulting firm also has an eclectic side business focused on publishing books written by or about explorers and historical figures in philosophy and math.
Abbey enjoyed a friendly confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee. He testified that he would leave his“ policy role” behind and affirmed his commitment to the EIA providing“ nonpartisan facts.”
Abbey praised the EIA as“ the world’ s premier energy data agency” but also said it is“ in urgent need of revitalization.” He presented an ambitious must-do list seemingly at odds with the current administration’ s wholesale cuts. The EIA, Abbey declared,“ must clear the decks of unfinished projects,”“ recruit and retain the best talent” and“ develop the most powerful analytical capabilities.” Among his top priorities, Abbey testified:“ the expansion of global energy data collection and analysis.”
( Doris Burke contributed research.)
This article was produced by ProPublica and is reprinted here according to their guidelines.
68 The Trial Lawyer