EPA Under Fire: 139 Employees Placed on Leave Amid ‘Dissent’ Over Trump Administration Policies

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed 139 employees on administrative leave after they signed a “declaration of dissent” against the agency’s current policies. The EPA alleges the employees are “unlawfully undermining” the Trump administration’s agenda.

In a letter made public earlier this week, the employees asserted that the agency is failing to uphold its core mission of protecting human health and the environment. This public criticism is a rare move for agency employees, who risked repercussions for speaking out against perceived weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental, and health science.

The EPA stated it has a “zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting” the administration’s objectives. Employees were informed they would be on a “temporary, non-duty, paid status” for two weeks, pending an “administrative investigation,” though the email clarified it was not a disciplinary action.

Over 170 EPA employees signed the document, with an additional 100 signing anonymously due to fear of retaliation. This follows a similar action in June by nearly 100 National Institutes of Health (NIH) employees, who also signed a declaration assailing Trump administration policies. However, no NIH employees have faced administrative leave or known retribution.

Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, the EPA has significantly altered its direction, including cuts to environmental improvements in minority communities, proposed rollbacks of air pollution regulations, efforts to undo an asbestos ban, and plans to repeal rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Zeldin has also initiated a reorganization of the EPA’s research and development office to slash its budget and reduce its focus on climate change and environmental justice.

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