EPA Shake-up: Dissenting Employees Fired Amid Criticism

The Environmental Protection Agency fired at least eight employees for signing a letter critiquing leadership under Lee Zeldin and President Trump. Over 170 signed in dissent, with critics likening the firings to an attack on labor rights. The agency intends to reduce its workforce significantly.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) terminated the employment of at least eight staff members on Friday who had signed a letter critiquing its leadership under Administrator Lee Zeldin and President Donald Trump. The move has sparked controversy and raised questions about employee rights within government agencies.

According to an EPA spokeswoman, these actions followed a comprehensive internal investigation which involved individualized decision-making by EPA supervisors. The spokeswoman labeled the letter as containing misleading information about agency activities, asserting that only a minor portion of the workforce seeks to mislead the public.

While specifics on the exact number of disciplined employees remain undisclosed, reports indicate that six probationary employees and at least two career employees were dismissed following their participation in the dissent. This comes amid broader agency staff reductions aimed at downsizing more than 3,700 positions from the initial levels when Trump assumed office.

(With inputs from agencies.)