- More than 1,000 EPA staff members received an email that said they could be terminated. Those staffers are working on Biden-era projects.
- The email was reportedly sent during President Donald Trump’s second week back in office.
- The American Federation of Government Employees president said “American people will really suffer” if the cuts happen.
Hundreds of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jobs are reportedly on the chopping block, as the Trump administration warned employees working on Biden-era initiatives they could be fired at any time. The EPA sent a just-revealed email last week to more than 1,000 staff members who were hired within the past year on probationary status to work on climate change, reducing air pollution, and enforcing environmental laws.
According to The New York Times, the email states, “As a probationary-trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you.”
The Times reported some of those affected include experienced federal workers who had taken up new assignments within the agency.
Is the EPA commenting on the potential cuts?
An EPA spokesperson declined to answer questions from the Times about the email, but did say Lee Zeldin, the agency’s new administrator, has a goal to “create a more effective and efficient federal government that serves all Americans.”
What will happen if EPA jobs get cut?
Meanwhile, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704, Nicole Cantello, told the Hill she’s concerned for the EPA’s future and she fears newer workers who have less than a year of federal service could be in jeopardy of losing their jobs as well, which could lead to losing one-tenth of its personnel.
“These people work on things like getting the lead out of pipes or enforcing environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act,” Cantello said. “They work on things like Brownfields, which turn contaminated land into usable land. They work on Superfund sites, which cleans up toxic pollution.”
“American people will really suffer if we don’t keep these people on the clock,” Cantello added.
According to the EPA’s website, the agency currently has around 15,000 employees.
