Trump and Zeldin Announced a Plan to Lay Off 65% of Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency
Trump last week announced that he and his appointed administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) planned to cut 65% of the employees working for the agency. Such draconian cuts would gut the agency’s ability to carry out its legally assigned work of protecting American clean air, water, and human health.
“At a time when people are increasingly concerned about health and exposure to toxic pollution, cutting the EPA makes no sense. The workers at EPA protect communities in every corner of this country – ensuring that our air is safe to breathe, our water is safe to drink, and our rivers, lakes and coastlines are safe to enjoy. Poll after poll show that people want more, not less, protections and more accountability for polluters. Cutting two-thirds of our country’s front line of environmental protection would mean no inspections or enforcement on air and water polluters, no cleanups of toxic waste or lead and PFAS in our drinking water, no clean electric buses to bring our children safely to school, no expert response and cleanup when there is a train derailment or factory explosion that threatens people’s lives and properties,” said former EPA scientist and current League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis.
“Meanwhile, Administrator Lee Zeldin and his fossil fuel industry colleagues in Trump’s billionaire cabinet are trying to say that the pollution that causes climate change does not endanger public health and welfare. Try to say that with a straight face to the communities of Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee still trying to rebuild from last fall’s climate-change supercharged hurricanes, or the communities of LA sifting through the rubble of wildfire-leveled neighborhoods, or the Midwestern farmer barely hanging on because of flooding, drought, or extreme thunderstorms and tornadoes. Those communities won’t stand for it, and neither will we,” continued Davis. “Both of these actions reek of corruption – Trump and unelected Musk are delivering Project 2025’s plan for their oil and gas executive friends–giving them free rein to do what they please, all at the expense of everyday families’ budgets, health, communities, and environment.”
Trump Backpedals
The ink was barely dry on the stories of Trump’s initial declaration when White House staff and Zeldin cranked up efforts to backpedal. They claimed Trump’s statement was misunderstood. They allege he was only referring to an intention to cut the agency’s budget by 65%, not its staff.
Spokespeople for EPA staff weren’t buying it. A budget cut of that magnitude would require massive layoffs. Marie Owens Powell, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, said, “Frankly, I don’t know if we believe it.” Such a large spending cut would require major staffing reductions for jobs such as monitoring air and water quality, responding to natural disasters and lead abatement, among many other agency functions, she said.
Even the idea that EPA could make other cuts in addition to firing staff was no consolation for those who believe in the agency’s mission. Zeldin has pledged to revoke billions of dollars in climate-change and clean energy grants approved by the Biden-Harris Administration.
With climate-deniers now in charge of the federal government, the fight is on to save the future from their assaults.
