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President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could fire over two-thirds of its workforce.
Trump shared the comments with reporters during his first Cabinet meeting in Washington.
“I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from environmental, and we’re going to speed up the process too at the same time,” Trump said.
“He had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist,” he added.
The Daily Caller also shared a statement following the Cabinet meeting with additional details concerning the planned job cuts.
“President Trump, DOGE, and Administrator Zeldin are committed to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse across all agencies,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “After recently identifying $20 billion fraudulent in spending, Administrator Zeldin is committed to eliminating 65% of the EPA’s wasteful spending.”
An EPA spokesperson also confirmed upcoming staffing changes in a statement to Fox News on Wednesday.
“Compared to 2024, the total amount spent year over year at EPA will deliver significant efficiencies to American taxpayers by cutting wasteful grants, reassessing the agency’s real estate footprint, and delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure,” the EPA spokesperson stated.
“In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families across the country and will continue to do so this term,” the spokesperson added.
Zeldin, a former New York Republican House member, was among the first nominees announced by Trump following his November election victory.
“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Congressman from New York, Lee Zeldin, will be appointed to serve as The Administrator of The United States Environmental Protective Agency (EPA),” Trump said in a statement at the time.
“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump added.
Zeldin responded to Trump’s nomination with gratitude and a focus on restoring America’s energy dominance.
“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he wrote on X.