Environmental Protection Agency staff took to the streets throughout the US in the present day to protest drastic cuts President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE have made on the federal company whose mission is to “defend human well being and the atmosphere.”
Musk, the face of DOGE and the goal of rising protests at Tesla dealerships, was a much bigger identify on the rally than Trump. “How do you spell corruption? E-L-O-N” staff and their supporters chanted at a picket line in entrance of a federal constructing in New York City. Some held indicators with “this man will not be our boss” written in purple over a sketch of Musk’s face. More than 150 folks rallied with picket indicators chanting “Move, DOGE, get out the best way,” to the tune of a Ludacris track, and “What can we do when clear land/air/water/science is below assault? Stand up, combat again!”
The staff, represented by union AFGE Council 238, held marches in 8 cities as a part of a ‘National Day of Action.’ Plans to dismantle a lot of the company and weaken protections towards air pollution put Americans in danger, EPA staff warn.
“I work on imposing rules that cope with hazardous waste and poisonous substances, which is figure that I really feel will not be a partisan concern.”
“I work on imposing rules that cope with hazardous waste and poisonous substances, which is figure that I really feel will not be a partisan concern,” says Suzanne Englot, an lawyer who works in enforcement on the EPA. “Everyone desires to ensure that hazardous waste and poisonous substances are correctly regulated, disposed of, saved and all of that. But in these instances, it makes me nervous that issues are going to vary.”
The EPA, below Trump’s government orders, is now barred from taking any enforcement or compliance actions that will “shut down any stage of power manufacturing” until there’s an “imminent and substantial” well being risk, in keeping with a memo that EPA management issued on March twelfth.
On the identical day, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin introduced what he known as “the best day of deregulation our nation has seen,” proposing rollbacks on dozens of guidelines meant to curb air pollution from energy crops, oil and fuel refineries, chemical crops, automobiles and vehicles, factories, and extra.
The Trump administration has additionally moved to shutter the company’s scientific analysis workplace and environmental justice workplaces. Trump has mused about chopping the EPA’s price range by 65 %. Around 1,100 probationary workers on the EPA obtained discover in January telling them the company “has the correct to instantly terminate you.” A federal decide later ordered the Trump administration to rehire tons of of staff who had been laid off on the company. And the White House faces extra authorized challenges over its dismantling of federal businesses and deregulation spree.
Both Trump and billionaire-backer Musk complained about rules slowing firms down throughout final 12 months’s election season. “It prices way more to do issues environmentally clear,” Trump mentioned in an interview with Joe Rogan on October twenty fifth.
“We’ve obtained to have wise spending. And we’ve obtained to have deregulation …. I’m pro-environment, [but] I don’t assume we should always vilify the oil and fuel business as a result of they’re protecting civilization going proper now,” Musk mentioned in his X interview with Trump on August twelfth. Musk later wielded a chainsaw “for forms” on the Conservative Political Action Conference stage final month.
“Elon is perpetuating a local weather of concern and concentrating on federal staff and the mission that they perform to guard human well being and the atmosphere,” EPA environmental engineer Harper Stanfield advised The Verge on the rally in New York City. “We can’t let EPA be silenced by billionaires.”
Trump has accepted tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in funding from the oil and fuel business. Elon Musk spent greater than $250 million serving to Trump get elected. The president then handed Musk the ability to dramatically makeover federal businesses by way of his put up main the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In an e mail to The Verge, the EPA mentioned that it’s “listening” to workers and made cuts to adjust to Trump’s agenda to eradicate applications it considers variety, fairness, and inclusion initiatives.
Stanfield and Englot mentioned on the rally in the present day that they’re calling on Congress to behave as a test on the chief department, and asking folks to achieve out to their elected representatives to assist the EPA’s work.
“Democrat, Republican, impartial, whoever it’s, everyone seems to be impacted by this,” Englot says. “EPA’s work touches everybody’s lives.”
