{"id":21650,"date":"2025-03-10T14:44:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T18:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=21650"},"modified":"2025-03-10T14:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T18:45:19","slug":"merkley-denounces-scheme-to-cripple-the-epa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/merkley-denounces-scheme-to-cripple-the-epa\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkley Denounces Scheme to Cripple the EPA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Democratic Committee members say EPA Administrator Zeldin\u2019s illegal plan to gut the federal agency is poised to torpedo environmental safeguards while undermining the Constitution<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. \u2013 <\/strong>Today, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley\u2014a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee\u2014joined all his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in demanding answers<\/a> from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin about his illegal scheme to gut the agency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump recently announced that Administrator Zeldin planned to fire 65 percent of the staff at EPA, but Administrator Zeldin subsequently clarified that he actually plans to slash EPA spending by at least 65 percent. Firing more than 10,000 EPA workers or making deep budget cuts would make it impossible for the agency to protect the American public\u2019s clean air and water and to prevent toxic pollution, and any of Administrator Zeldin\u2019s efforts to manipulate agency spending levels would violate congressional authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cYour intention to do either of these things\u2014fire large numbers of EPA staff or proceed with deep budget cuts\u2014raises serious concerns.  EPA could not fulfill its mission of protecting our air and water and preventing toxic pollution if its staff or<\/em> budget were cut by 65 percent. <\/sup>Moreover, you do not have legal authority to set EPA\u2019s spending levels; that power is reserved under Article I of the Constitution to Congress,\u201d wrote Senator Merkley and other members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201c[A]ny decision to fire large numbers of EPA staff calls into question the probity of the statements you made on this subject at your confirmation hearing not even two months ago.  Each time you were asked about your plans for agency staffing, you assured Committee members that you looked forward to working \u2018collaboratively\u2019 with EPA\u2019s dedicated staff \u2026. During your confirmation hearing, you also told members of the Committee on eight separate occasions that you would \u2018not prejudge[e] outcomes\u2019 or made substantially identical statements. <\/sup> It is difficult to understand how a decision to cut two-thirds of a federal agency\u2019s staff or budget when Trump-affiliated groups had been urging a similar course of action since before President Trump even took office is anything other than a \u2018prejudged outcome,\u2019\u201d the Senators continued.<\/strong>  \u201cPlease describe how you believe that any largescale firing of EPA employees will \u2018support career staff who have dedicated\u2019 themselves to EPA\u2019s mission and \u2018foster a collaborative culture within the agency,\u2019 as you pledged under oath to do during your confirmation hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In accordance with the President\u2019s directives to gut the civil service, agency heads are required to submit their plans for cutting staff to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management\u2019s (OPM) by March 13, 2025. EPW Democrats are demanding answers from Administrator Zeldin by March 11, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text of the letter is below, and a full version (with footnotes) is available HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Administrator Zeldin,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 26, 2025, President Trump said that you planned to fire 65 percent of staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <\/sup> Hours later, a White House spokesperson stated that the President misspoke and that you instead planned to cut EPA spending by 65 percent. <\/sup> You then doubled down a day later, telling Spectrum News<\/em> in an interview that you had shared with President Trump that a 65 percent budget cut was a \u201c\u2018low number\u2019\u201d and that you believe \u201c\u2018that the EPA can save even more than 65 percent of our budget year over year.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a memorandum on February 26, 2025 outlining a multi-month process for reducing the size of the federal workforce. <\/sup> The Agency Reduction in Force and Reorganization Plan (ARRP) process detailed in this memo requires agency heads to submit \u201cPhase 1 ARRPs\u201d and \u201cPhase 2 ARRPs\u201d to provide an accounting of the agency\u2019s reduction in force (RIF) plans, including numerical data and justification.  Those submissions are due on March 13 and April 14 of this year, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your intention to do either of these things\u2014fire large numbers of EPA staff or proceed with deep budget cuts\u2014raises serious concerns.  EPA could not fulfill its mission of protecting our air and water and preventing toxic pollution if its staff or<\/em> budget were cut by 65 percent. <\/sup> Moreover, you do not have legal authority to set EPA\u2019s spending levels; that power is reserved under Article I of the Constitution to Congress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, any decision to fire large numbers of EPA staff calls into question the probity of the statements you made on this subject at your confirmation hearing not even two months ago.  Each time you were asked about your plans for agency staffing, you assured Committee members that you looked forward to working \u201ccollaboratively\u201d with EPA\u2019s dedicated staff.  Notably, you were pressed on this point because individuals closely affiliated with President Trump were championing mass firings even before he took office.  On November 15, 2024, for example, Forbes <\/em>reported that Elon Musk had stated that he would seek to cut up to 75% of federal agencies and implement workforce reductions similar to those he implemented at Twitter, where he cut 80% of staff. <\/sup> During your confirmation hearing, you also told members of the Committee on eight separate occasions that you would \u201cnot prejudge[e] outcomes\u201d or made substantially identical statements.  <\/sup> It is difficult to understand how a decision to cut two-thirds of a federal agency\u2019s staff or budget when Trump-affiliated groups had been urging a similar course of action since before President Trump even took office is anything other than a \u201cprejudged outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, in order to assist in our investigation of statements by both the White House and you that you plan to eliminate 65 percent of EPA staff or cut agency spending by 65 percent or more, please respond to the following questions no later than March 10, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Are President Trump\u2019s comments that EPA plans to fire approximately 65 percent of its staff accurate?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Is the White House statement that you plan to cut EPA spending by 65 percent accurate?  If not, is the 65 percent estimate too low or too high?  Please explain in detail your plans for cutting EPA spending.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. If President Trump\u2019s statements related to EPA staffing are not accurate, what are your plans for complying with the OMB\/OPM ARRP memo and what percentage of EPA staff are you planning on firing?  Please detail your layoff plans (dates employees will be fired and number of employees to be fired) across EPA\u2019s various divisions (Office of the Administrator (OA), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), Office of General Counsel (OGC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA), Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), Office of Mission Support (OMS), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of Water (OW), and EPA\u2019s ten Regional Offices).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. If President Trump\u2019s statements related to EPA staffing are accurate, when did EPA determine that it would eliminate approximately 65 percent of EPA?  How did EPA determine that a 65 percent reduction in staff was appropriate?  Was this your own determination as Administrator, or the recommendation of other officials or outside groups?  Please list any parties\u2014whether inside or outside the Trump Administration\u2014who were consulted on EPA\u2019s planning regarding layoffs.  Provide any communications (including but not limited to emails, text messages, and memoranda)\u2014dating from November 1, 2024 to present\u2014between and among the EPA and White House officials, members of the Trump 2024 campaign, members of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, OMB staff, OPM staff, Elon Musk, individuals affiliated with the so-called \u201cDepartment of Government Efficiency,\u201d Mandy Gunasekara, or Russell Vought concerning EPA\u2019s RIF plans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Please describe how you believe that any largescale firing of EPA employees will \u201csupport career staff who have dedicated\u201d themselves to EPA\u2019s mission and \u201cfoster a collaborative culture within the agency,\u201d as you pledged under oath to do during your confirmation hearing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. If the White House statement that you plan to cut EPA spending by 65 percent is accurate, as it seems to be based on your follow-up statement that 65 percent may be an underestimate, please provide the legal authority for making such a budget cut.  We note that any Executive Order or executive branch memorandum does not have the force of law, and so are requesting that you cite to specific statutory or Constitutional language that provides you such authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Do you agree that, under the Constitution, it is Congress that has the power to set spending levels and determine how appropriated funds will be spent?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Please itemize the 65 percent (or more) spending reduction that you are planning to implement.  Please list all programs you plan to cut and the amounts of money you plan to save from each by fiscal year.  Please also detail your planned spending reductions (amounts by fiscal year) across EPA\u2019s various divisions (Office of the Administrator (OA), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), Office of General Counsel (OGC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA), Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), Office of Mission Support (OMS), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of Water (OW), and EPA\u2019s ten Regional Offices).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thank you for your cooperating in this matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Democratic Committee members say EPA Administrator Zeldin\u2019s illegal plan to gut the federal agency is poised to torpedo environmental safeguards while undermining the Constitution Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley\u2014a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee\u2014joined all his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in demanding answers from Environmental Protection Agency […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":17053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-21650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-tackling-climate-change"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMerkley Denounces Scheme to Cripple the EPA - Merkley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/merkley-denounces-scheme-to-cripple-the-epa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merkley Denounces Scheme to Cripple the EPA - 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