Speculations Arise that the EPA Could Be Trump’s Next Target

The Trump Administration could be gearing up for major cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with some reports indicating that up to 65% of staff could be laid off. President Trump mentioned during a cabinet meeting that Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, intended to cut nearly two-thirds of the agency’s employees.

This prompted concerns that such drastic cuts would cripple the agency’s ability to carry out its essential work, like environmental monitoring and responding to natural disasters.

Shortly after, officials from the EPA clarified that Trump might have been talking about cutting the agency’s budget by 65%, not actually reducing the workforce by that much. However, the threat of mass layoffs still looms, with a White House memo instructing EPA managers to prepare for job cuts.

The agency currently employs about 15,000 full-time staff, meaning that even a smaller reduction would result in thousands of lost jobs.

This move is in line with the Trump Administration’s broader push to shrink the size of federal agencies, particularly those involved in environmental protection and climate change efforts.

The American Federation of Government Employees warned that such cuts could severely impact the agency’s ability to respond to critical environmental hazards, like hazardous cleanups and air quality monitoring.

Additionally, the administration has also frozen funding for a national electric vehicle charging network, causing frustration among automakers. California is moving forward with its own network expansion, and other states may need to follow suit to keep up with progress.

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