Trump Says EPA Will Cut 65 Percent of Staff

Washington, D.C. — President Trump said today that Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plans to cut up to 65 percent of the agency's staff, an unprecedented move that would catastrophically weaken the EPA's ability to protect human health and the environment. 

The reported move against EPA staff is the latest in a weeks-long rampage by President Trump and Elon Musk against the public servants. 

The following is a statement from Alexandra Adams, chief policy advocacy officer of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

"Firing the people who protect the quality of our air, water, and health at the EPA will open the floodgates to more pollution, contaminated water, and toxic chemicals. This is a deliberate effort to hobble the government and diminish its capacity to hold bad actors to account on behalf of the public. 

“This is a gift to the billionaire oil and gas donors Trump solicited to help bankroll his campaign, and every community in the country will pay the price for it.

“It is not about saving money; it's about protecting polluters. As the administration tries to hollow out the agency Congress created to defend the environment and the public, lawmakers need to step in to help put a stop to this."

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).