Skip to primary navigation Skip to content
January 18, 2019

Chairwoman Johnson Requests Information on DOE Travel Prohibition

(Washington, DC) – Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry requesting information on recent restrictions placed on Department of Energy (DOE) employees’ federally sponsored travel. Though the DOE has been funded for the full Fiscal Year 2019, Science Committee staff have received reports that their employees were ordered to immediately cancel upcoming agency sponsored travel without sufficient explanation.

“Employee travel is routinely used to build and maintain relationships and knowledge with key colleagues and partners, a particularly important objective considering DOE’s broad geographic presence. So given its appropriated budget, I would like a clear explanation for why DOE may be restricting its employees’ travel without any clear justification for these actions,” Chairwoman Johnson said in the letter.

She continued, “I sincerely hope that these reports are inaccurate. DOE’s effectiveness is vital to ensuring our nation’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear security missions, particularly through the development of transformative science and technology solutions.”

A copy of the full letter can be found here.