Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday put a stop to staffers undermining President Trump’s energy dominance policies.
In a written statement to Breitbart, Zeldin had said, “We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November.” He added firmly, “The will of the American public will not be ignored at our agency.”
Zeldin refers to a published letter made public on Monday by a group of EPA employees. The Hill reported that the mix of current and retired employees stated that President Trump’s policies appear to “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
In the letter, they claim that these policies put communities at risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and unsafe drinking water. The EPA responded to these allegations on Monday, reported by The Hill, saying the agency would “continue to work with states, tribes, and communities to advance the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
The letter had 186 named and 134 anonymous signers, many of whom are former Democratic political appointees.
Zeldin plans to place 144 employees on administrative leave pending further investigation. These 144 employees are only a small representation of the agency’s 15,000-plus employees. According to Breitbart, this minority of staffers accuse Zeldin of violating the Hatch Act by discussing President Trump’s tariffs policies, but have no problem with Democrat Administrator Michael Regan promoting the Inflation Reduction Act. Zeldin slams EPA staffers who exploited their titles to mislead the public.
This letter does not reflect the majority of the EPA and the will of the American people. In his statement, Zeldin explained, “The vast majority of agency employees are dedicated to the core mission of protecting human health and the environment, Powering the Great American Comeback, and respecting the will of the American people.”
Breitbart reported that Zeldin closed his statement, saying that the public letter was riddled with misinformation and warned the small number of employees that the zero-tolerance policy would be “unapologetically implemented unconditionally.”
