12. Department of Energy and Related Commissions · Major · Needs Congress
Eliminate the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Printed page 379 12. Department of Energy and Related Commissions
“Eliminate EERE. The next Administration should work with Congress to eliminate all of DOE’s applied energy programs, including those in EERE (with the possible exception of those that are related to basic science for new energy technology).”
What has happened
- Partially done
DOE's organizational realignment took EERE off the organization chart, merging it with the manufacturing, federal energy management and state programs offices into a new Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI). The office as named is gone by executive reorganization; its applied programs continue under CMEI, and Congress appropriated $3.1 billion to the "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" account for FY2026 (P.L. 119-74, 2026-01-23). The FY2027 request describes CMEI as "formerly Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" at $1.12 billion.
- DOE press release: Energy Department Announces Organizational Realignment to Strengthen Efficiency and Unleash American Energy
- DOE organization chart, 2025-11-20 (no Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)
- P.L. 119-74 — FY2026 Energy and Water Development appropriations (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $3,100,000,000)
- DOE FY 2027 Budget in Brief — Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (formerly Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy), $1.12 billion
- Attempted
The FY2026 budget request proposed cutting EERE by $2.572 billion (-74%), zeroing solar, wind, hydrogen and vehicle programs and "reorient[ing] EERE programs to early-stage research and development" — a formal request that narrows the office rather than abolishing it.
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- The 2025-10-01 cancellation of 321 awards (energy.gov, see #926) included EERE awards.
- Confirmed at partial on review. #962, #947 and #977 were leveled together against the object each Quote names: this one names the office, and the office is gone from DOE’s chart, which is the piece the executive alone can deliver (executive action on a Requires-Congress ask is “partial if it eliminates”). It is not done because the applied programs continue inside CMEI and Congress went on funding them under the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account name. #947 names the programs, which all survive, so it stays attempted; #977 names the agency ARPA-E, which is untouched, so it stays not started.
- Action
- eliminate
- Object
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- ID
- 962