Late last month, a group of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staffers signed on to a letter that accused President Donald Trump of undermining the EPA’s “mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
Yet Trump and his administration are getting the last laugh, as a number of agency employees have found themselves on administrative leave pending an investigation.
EPA administrator weighs in
According to Breitbart, that fact was made clear by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin when he provided a statement to the news outlet on Thursday.
“We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November. The will of the American public will not be ignored at our agency,” Zeldin was quoted as saying.
“The vast majority of agency employees are dedicated to the core mission of protecting human health and the environment, Powering the Great American Comeback, and respecting the will of the American people,” he continued.
“Whether at our agency headquarters in DC or spread out across America’s regions, during my travels to 22 states since confirmation, it has been a high honor to actively engage with the EPA’s talented and dedicated career staffers, answering their questions, listening to their counsel, and partnering to implement the agenda our country voted for last year,” Zeldin insisted.
Declaration of dissent at issue
“Unfortunately, a small number of employees signed onto a public letter, written as agency employees, using their official work title, that was riddled with misinformation regarding agency business,” the EPA administrator complained.
Zeldin further stressed that the EPA’s “ZERO tolerance policy is in full force and effect and will be unapologetically implemented unconditionally.”
A group of EPA employees publish a declaration of dissent from the agency’s policies under the Trump administration, saying they “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.” https://t.co/Vsxo0kp0hs
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 30, 2025
NBC News reported that the “declaration of dissent” has been signed by over 170 EPA staff members while another 100 signed anonymously.
Staffers resist
Among the signatories is Amelia Hertzberg, who worked at the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
NBC News noted that Hertzberg has been on administrative leave for five months as the Trump administration works to abolish her department.
“I’m really sad,” she was quoted as saying.
Hertzberg added, “This agency, that was a superhero for me in my youth, we’re not living up to our ideals under this administration. And I really want us to.”
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Author: Adam Peters
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