Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed several employees who signed a public letter denouncing the Trump administration’s environmental policies, deepening concerns over political retaliation inside the agency.
The letter, circulated in late June and signed by more than 140 employees, accused the agency’s leadership of undermining science, promoting deregulation for corporate polluters, and cultivating what signatories described as a “culture of fear.” Within weeks, dozens of employees were placed on administrative leave. Now, at least seven have been fired, according to reporting cited by the Washington Post.
The EPA has defended its actions, claiming each case was reviewed individually following internal investigations. An agency spokesperson dismissed the dissent letter as “inaccurate and misleading information designed to mislead the public about agency business.” The agency has refused to confirm the total number of firings.
Union leaders representing EPA staff condemned the dismissals as a blatant attack on both workplace rights and freedom of speech. Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, said the move was “clearly an assault on labor and free speech rights.”
The controversy comes at a time when the EPA has already been hollowed out by sweeping deregulation efforts. Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, a staunch Trump ally, the agency’s budget has been slashed by more than half, while entire divisions of scientific research have been dismantled. Critics say the firings are part of a larger effort to silence career staff who resist political directives and to strip away the agency’s institutional independence.
The move also follows a broader trend across federal agencies. Earlier this year, hundreds of staff at FEMA and other departments faced similar suspensions or firings after signing letters of protest against administration policies, signaling what civil service advocates see as a coordinated crackdown on dissent within government ranks.
Environmental groups warn that the purge of experienced staff will cripple the EPA’s capacity to enforce regulations and protect public health, leaving oversight in the hands of political appointees aligned with industry. “It is a purge disguised as policy,” one advocacy director said, adding that the agency’s credibility has been eroded to a dangerous degree.
According to Reuters, the firings underscore the Trump administration’s broader strategy of consolidating control over regulatory agencies by marginalizing dissenting voices, raising new questions about the independence of federal oversight in one of the country’s most politically contested policy arenas.
