EPA staff members speak out against Trump lies
Editor’s note: This op-ed was written by a group of current and former employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who have asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about retaliation.
The Trump administration is making accusations of fraud, waste, and abuse
associated with federal environmental
justice programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as
justification for firing federal workers and defunding critical environmental
programs. But the real waste, fraud, and abuse would be to strip away these
funds from the American people.
What
are the community impacts of EPA's environmental justice office closures?
As current and former employees at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) who developed and implemented the agency’s
environmental justice funding and grant programs, we want to offer our
first-hand insights about the efficiency and importance of this work. This is
not about defending our paychecks. This is about protecting the health of our
communities.
IRA funding is often described as a “once-in-a-generation
investment,” putting billions of dollars toward improving the lives of
American families in red, blue, and purple states. Working with communities,
we’ve been placing these resources directly into their hands, supporting people
to better protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land where we
live, learn, work, play, and grow — including key protections from natural
disasters.
As civil servants, we took an oath to protect and invest in
the American public. We are committed to providing effective programs and being
responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, and there are many policies in
place to ensure our accountability. But despite our careful planning and
oversight, the new administration is halting programs Americans depend on for
their health and wellbeing.
We should work together to demand that the Trump
administration restore this critical funding back to the people.
The risks of losing a once-in-a-generation investment
The Bush administration introduced environmental equity (and
justice) programming to the EPA in the 1990s. EPA staff working on
environmental justice programs partnered with communities to meet their needs
and used rigorous systems to track funds and results.
The Trump administration recently paused many of these environmental
justice programsthat fund community-led projects like air, water, and soil
testing; training and workforce development; construction or cleanup projects;
gardens and tree planting; and preparing and responding to natural
disasters. Other examples of the EPA’s environmental justice
programs include providing safe shelters during and after hurricanes, land
cleanups to reduce communities’ exposure to harmful pollutants, and providing
water filters to protect residents from lead in drinking water.
This administration has halted funds, claiming “the objectives of the awards are no longer
consistent with EPA funding priorities.” In reality, these funds were approved
by Congress, and these grants remain in alignment with the agency’s mission to
protect human health and the environment. Even though there are court orders to
unfreeze billions of dollars in federal grants, the Trump administration
continues to withhold this critical money from the people who need
it most.
We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold
this administration accountable to serving the American people, applying the
same mandates that we have held our federal workforce and grant recipients to:
follow the law, follow the science, and be transparent.
Terminating the EPA’s environmental justice programs is
hurting our communities and the economy
Some grant recipients who have lost access to EPA funding
had already been working for more than a year on projects that must now be paused. Many recipients have
hired local employees and made commitments in their communities.
Now that funds are being pulled back, these organizations
have had to lay off staff, pause local contracts with private companies and
small businesses, and shut down community-driven projects. These attacks will
impact the integrity of programs funded by our hard-earned tax dollars and take
money away from communities across the country.
By withholding promised funding and terminating existing
contracts, the Trump administration is exposing the EPA to increased risks of
litigation. Relationships that were built through years of meaningful
engagement between communities and the federal government are being
jeopardized. Organizations, institutions, and companies will likely shy away
from future federal grant or contracting opportunities because no one wants to
work with someone who doesn’t pay their bills and backs out on their promises.
It is a waste of taxpayer dollars for the U.S. Government to
cancel its agreements with grantees and contractors. It is fraud for the U.S.
Government to delay payments for services already received. And it is an abuse
of power for the Trump administration to block the IRA laws that were mandated
by Congress.
How to take action to restore funding to the American
people
It can feel impossible to keep up with the news right now,
but this story touches all of us. We should pay attention to what’s going on in
our communities and find ways to stay engaged, like attending town halls to
hear about the local impacts of federal policies and making your voice heard.
If you are interested in advocating for the return of
federal funding to the American people, we urge you to:
- Advocate
for funding to be restored in your community. Take part in localtown
hall and other events in your area to advocate for federal
funding to be returned to the people. Make your voice heard and claim your
right to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment.
- Learn
how the EPA’s environmental justice programs are investing in your state,
city, or community. View
this environmental justice grants map to see where IRA dollars
and funding from the EPA’s environmental justice programs were invested.
- Learn
how federal cuts are impacting your communities. Stay tuned to
view a Federal Cuts Tracker Map (we’ll add a link here when it’s live) to
read and share stories about how federal cuts are currently impacting your
communities.
- Share on social media. Share our story or similar news stories on social media with #federalfundingfreeze, #federalcuts, or #truthtopower.
