The research and development office was in the crosshairs of an organization that formed an alliance with President Donald Trump.
EPA nomination for Climate Change, Disaster Relief Zeldin
Senator Bernie Sanders and Adam Schiff questioned EPA admin candidate Lee Zeldin about climate change and disaster relief.
The Environmental Protection Agency has eliminated the Bureau of Scientific Research in the latest cuts to the federal workforce of the Trump administration.
The changes, announced on July 18, had an impact on the Research and Development Bureau and provided the EPA with information to determine human health and environmental standards. According to a news release from the agency, EPA currently owns a new office in applied science environmental solutions.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the EPA has taken a closer look at our business and has enabled our agencies to fulfill our core mission to promote America’s great American comeback while protecting human health and the environment,” agency manager Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “This power cut will allow us to better meet that mission while being the head of our hard-earned taxes.”
Authorities said with the creation of the Office of Applied Science Environmental Solutions, the EPA has said it is “at the forefront of rules making and technical assistance” for research and science.
The EPA said the organizational changes have saved nearly $750 million. The agency was already subject to cuts from the new administration. The Supreme Court ruling on July 8 allowed the Trump administration to implement sweep reductions by Elon Musk’s Office of Government Efficiency.
In January, the EPA had 16,155 employees, while the agency said it had 12,448 workers.
The number of staff members affected by the July 18 announcement is unknown, but some staff will be reassigned at the agency. In an email, an EPA spokesperson said the next step is to send notifications to individual employees.
This office includes biologists, chemists, epidemiologists and toxicologists. Scientists will deal with new pollutants, including research into environmental emergency situations such as floods, train derailment and wildfires, according to Nicole Cantello, director of the Legislative and Politician Bureau of the U.S. Government Employee Council 238, representing EPA workers.
“The EPA is plagued by destroying the world’s most important environmental research institute,” Cantello said. “It only poses dirty air, dirty water and more health risks for Americans.”
Union Chairman Justin Chen said the research and development office has also set regulatory guidelines for measuring contaminant levels. The restructuring brings scientific research closer to the administrators, the political appointees, and “can turn a blind eye to the inconveniences that are in the administration’s friends,” Chen said.
In March, Democrats on the House Science Committee said the EPA’s R&D reorganization plan had around 1,540 employees nationwide. Lawmakers warned that the plan would eliminate about 50-75% of staffing at EPA’s research and development offices. The New York Times first reported on the plan.
“The erasure of the (Research and Development Bureau) will have a generational impact on the health and safety of Americans,” said Rep. D-California Zoe Lofgren, the committee’s ranking chair, in a statement on July 18th. “This is a tragedy.”
As the Times reported, the research and development office was in the crosshairs of an organization that was allied with Trump. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, specifically cited the EPA Science Office for Project 2025. This is a blueprint for Trump to reconstruct and reduce the federal government.
Eduardo Quebus is based in New York City. Contact him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or by signalling emcuevas.01.
