President Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could face substantial staff reductions as part of a broader effort to downsize the federal government, according to Fox News. During his first Cabinet meeting of his second term, Trump stated that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is considering cutting approximately 65% of the agency’s federal employees. Trump said that many current EPA employees were either unproductive or even nonexistent.
Zeldin “had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist,” Trump said.
The signal comes as the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the Biden administration’s EPA gifted a $20 million grant, the largest allowed under the so-called Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Program, to a nonprofit whose CEO “personally applied for the taxpayer funding while simultaneously serving as a member of a top White House advisory council.”
Zeldin took to X on the matter, writing, “The Biden EPA shoveled $20 MILLION to an entity whose CEO was a current member on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Self-dealing with YOUR tax dollars was the M.O. of the Biden EPA when tossing ‘gold bars off the Titanic.’”
The EPA said that Zeldin and Trump are “in lock step” to reform the agency and make it more efficient. According to Fox News, an EPA spokesperson praised their effort as a way to make sure Americans’ taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly and with accountability by the federal government.
“Compared to 2024, the total amount spent year over year at EPA will deliver significant efficiencies to American taxpayers by cutting wasteful grants, reassessing the agency’s real estate footprint, and delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure,” the EPA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families across the country and will continue to do so this term.”
The remarks on the EPA reflect the Trump administration’s broader initiative, spearheaded by the newly formed Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) under the leadership of Elon Musk, to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have instructed agencies to prepare for significant workforce reductions and develop downsizing plans by mid-March.
Musk has emphasized the necessity of these cuts to prevent national bankruptcy. According to Fox News, Musk said that DOGE is keeping jobs in place for essential workers and for those who are performing well. Those who are not considered essential nor performing well, or performing at all, could lose their employment.