Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
FCC chair Brendan Carr has placed a handful of employees on paid administrative leave while the agency works on its DOGE plans.
Why it matters: About 10 employees, including the full staff of the Office of Workplace Diversity, are on leave and bracing for permanent firings, sources familiar told Axios.
- OWD is in charge of providing equal opportunity to people looking to work at the FCC and is responsible for processing formal complaints alleging employment discrimination.
- Carr in January eliminated a host of DEI work.
- The FCC declined to comment.
Additionally, people have been volunteering to retire early, and an LGBTQ+ employee resource group has been nixed, sources said.
- A contract with the FCC's library is also in limbo, and employees recently received an email telling them to return books in preparation for the library's closure on March 15.
- The library provided communications law books and resources so staff could have an accurate reading of the agency's authorities and statutes. The library also provided access to paywalled news.
The big picture: Carr has set up his own internal DOGE team as required by President Trump's executive order and there's a verified account on X established by DOGE for the FCC where announcements are expected.
- The FCC conducts oversight of Musk's SpaceX and has recently approved Starlink contracts.
What we're watching: The Trump administration has given every federal agency until March 13 to submit a plan for worker layoffs.
- As Republicans prioritize space exploration and privatization, the FCC's Space Bureau could be bolstered.
