Trump’s EPA eliminates research and development office and begins layoffs | Trump administration

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday that it has eliminated the research and development branch and has reduced the agency personnel by thousands of employees. A trade union leader said that the moves will “ruin public health in our country”.

The Agency’s Research and Development Office (ARM) has long provided scientific foundations for EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health. EPA, in May, scientific expertise and research efforts will shift to the offices focusing on important issues such as air and water, he said.

The agency said on Friday that it has created a new Applied Science and Environmental Solutions Office that will focus on research and science more than ever ”.

Authorities, after full implementation of the changes will save EPA about $ 750 million, he said.

Zoe Lofgren, the representative of California of the Assembly Science Committee, described the elimination of the research office as a “transvestite ..

“The Trump administration fires hardworking scientists while employing the political appointments of lying to the Congress and the American people.” “The destruction of the army will have generation effects on the health and safety of Americans.”

EPA manager Lee Zeldin said in a statement that the changes announced on Friday were better equipped than ever to fulfill our basic mission to protect human health and environment while strengthening the Great American return. ”

EPA also said last week that Donald Trump’s plans to reduce the federal labor force, critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their work, despite the decision of the Asupreme Court, the process of eliminating thousands of jobs.

The agency said that the total personnel in EPA will fall to 12,448 by reducing more than 3,700 employees or approximately 23%of the personnel levels in January when Trump took office.

Zeldin said, “This decrease in this power will enable us to better fulfill this task as responsible officials of your hard -earned tax dollars, Z Zeldin said, using a government term for mass fire.

238 President of the US Government Employees Council, representing thousands of EPA employees, Justin Chen, the Research and Development Office, “EPA’s heart and brain,” he said.

“We do not have tools to evaluate the effects on human health and the environment without it, Chen Chen said. “The destruction will ruin public health in our country.”

According to the agency documents reviewed by democratic personnel earlier this year at the House Science panel, EPA’s main science branch – currently currently has 1,540 positions, except for private government employees and public health officials. Documents can be dismissed by 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists.

In the research office, there are 10 facilities extending from Florida and North Carolina to Oregon. An EPa spokesman said that all laboratory functions will continue by the research office.

Sözcü Molly Vaseliou, in addition to the reduction of power of the agency, including the research office personnel, including appropriate employees for the third postponed resignation round, he said. The application period is open until 25 July.

The EPA’s announcement presents 139 employees who signed a “opposition declaration ıyla with agency policies within the scope of the Trump administration two weeks after the agency’s administrative permission. The agency accused the employees of Trump’s agenda of ilgi weakening illegally ”.

In a public letter on June 30, employees wrote that EPA no longer complies with the mission of protecting human health and environment. The letter represented the rare public criticism of agency employees who knew that they could face retaliation for speech.

Associated Press contributed to reporting