Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman David Rosner Oct. 16 said he is hopeful that Congress will reach a deal to reopen the federal government before the commission’s funding runs out. But if its current funding—generated mostly through user fees and the previous year’s appropriations—lapses, FERC has a plan.
FERC’s current operations are unaffected by the government shutdown because it is mostly self-funded. Still, it relies on Congressional appropriations for some of its financial backing. Rosner did not provide an estimate on when the commission would deplete its available funds and have to reduce operations.
FERC, an independent agency operating within the US Department of Energy, will furlough all but 60 full-time staff and 18 contractors of its 1,500-person workforce when funding lapses, its shutdown contingency plan states. Commissioners would continue to work.
While President Trump has threatened to fire thousands more federal workers because of the shutdown—a move temporarily blocked by a federal court in California Oct. 15—Rosner does not expect layoffs at FERC.
“I am not planning any,” Rosner told reporters in a press conference following the commission’s monthly meeting. FERC submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a 2026-2027 plan that “factors in a 9% reduction” of the commission’s workforce. The commission’s staff has already shrunk by 11% this year through voluntary departures, making future cuts less likely.
