EPA employees are ‘freaking out’ over Trump’s return

In the days following the election, some employees at the Environmental Protection Agency began texting each other to vent about what President-elect Trump’s victory could mean for their workplace. 

“It’s a new dystopian hellscape,” one employee said. 

Another employee who received that message said it summed up the tone around EPA pretty accurately. 

“People are majorly freaking out,” she said. 

She noted that some staff were taking a more cautious approach. They encouraged their colleagues to "wait and see," to give Trump officials the benefit of the doubt and to see what they could accomplish together. Employees with more experience, however, those who lived through Trump's first term in office, said they were not expecting much compromise. 

“There are more people freaking out,” the employee said. 

During his presidency, Trump sought to dramatically reduce EPA’s budget and headcount, curb its regulatory ambitions and reduce its enforcement actions. He initially appointed Scott Pruitt, who as a state official had repeatedly sued EPA, to lead the agency. When Pruitt stepped down after a series of scandals, Andrew Wheeler, a fossil fuel lobbyist, took his place. The Trump administration issued an extended hiring freeze for EPA and then offered separation incentives to encourage employees to leave.

Employees sounded the alarm that political appointees were improperly seeking to influence scientific processes. They consistently conceded the administration was well within its rights to alter course on policy, but maintained their scientific findings should have remained protected. In a survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2018, 70% of EPA employees said senior decision makers from regulated industries had inappropriately influenced agency actions.

The agency disbanded two of its science advisory committees and replaced the scientists on others. Employees ultimately reported feeling disenchanted, disempowered and skeptical about the value of their public service.

Now, after the Biden administration empowered EPA regulatory and enforcement reach; brought it new funding through annual appropriations and climate and infrastructure spending; and led a hiring spree, employees are fearing a return to the old ways. 

Project 2025, a policy shop set up by former Trump administration officials from which Trump has tried to distance himself, has called for eliminating offices and laboratories within EPA and to fire newest hires in “low-value programs.” Trump has named former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., to lead the agency. 

The president-elect called Zeldin a “true fighter for America First policies,” and previewed what that might look like at EPA. 

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said. 

Some employees do not want to wait around to see Zeldin’s approach. 

“Last time Trump was in office they offered early retirements,” said another employee. “I wasn't eligible then but I am now and I will jump right on that.”

That employee’s office could be slated for elimination under the Project 2025 proposal, a possibility the person called “horrifying.” 

“Employees are freaking out, including me,” the long-time staffer said, adding managers and union representatives are seeking to calm employees down. 

“We have survived this before and we will survive again,” those individuals have said. 

To many employees, however, there remains a concern the second go round will be more damaging than the first. Several employees who spoke to Government Executive cited Trump’s Schedule F proposal, which would make it easier to fire large swaths of federal employees for political purposes, as exacerbating their fears. 

Nicole Cantello, a Chicago-based EPA employee who represents her colleagues through the local American Federation of Government Employees council, is one of those union leaders seeking to assuage her colleagues’ concerns. 

“People are apprehensive and nervous about the future,” Cantello said. She added, however, that Trump’s approach is not yet known and her team is “hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.” 

EPA recently reached a new collective bargaining agreement with AFGE, something it did not have in Trump’s first term. That newly includes built in protections for scientific integrity and allows for multiple days of telework per week. Still, Cantello said she expects Trump’s team will attempt to shrink the EPA workforce. 

Another employee said the most fearful EPA staff are those who work on policy, and therefore may be subject to Schedule F dismissals. Outside groups have also submitted far-reaching Freedom of Information Act requests to identify potentially recalcitrant employees. Still, the employee said perhaps one of the worst outcomes for employees may be boredom. 

“Everything was a lot slower, a lot more bureaucracy,” the employee said, noting enforcement actions had to be cleared further up the chain of command and a lot more questions were asked of each potential action.

The employee still forecasted an “incredibly challenging” administration. 

“It's not good,” the worker said. “I don’t anticipate it being a particularly easy time in the next four years.” 

Mark Sims, a 38-year EPA employee, is retiring Jan. 31, shortly after Trump takes office. The timing is coincidental, as Sims has long planned to step down then. His colleagues remaining at the agency are “very concerned,” he said, both for their jobs—Sims anticipated the Trump administration would target Senior Executive Service and General Schedule-15 employees—and for their work. 

“Polluters are going to get a free pass under this new administration,” the long-time Air Enforcement employee speculated.