Sawt Falasteen - US environment agency axes nearly a quarter of workforce

In January, the federal agency tasked with ensuring clean air, land and water counted 16,155 employees.

Under the third round of "Deferred Resignation Program" cuts, that figure will drop to 12,448, a 22.9 percent reduction.

The cuts are made up of employees who took deferred resignation -- a program pushed by former Trump administration chief cost-cutter Elon Musk -- along with those who opted for early retirement or were laid off.

"EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.

"This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars," he added.

The statement added the cuts would generate $748.8 million in savings.

The White House is seeking to slash the EPA's budget by 54 percent to $4.2 billion for Fiscal Year 2026.

Friday's announcement drops staffing to below the 12,856 full-time positions outlined in the president's proposed budget.

The agency's scientific research arm -- the Office of Research and Development -- is also being dismantled, replaced by a smaller Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions.

According to the EPA, the new office will work to eliminate backlogs in reviewing hundreds of chemicals and thousands of pesticides, while developing a new strategy to address so-called "forever chemicals," or PFAS.

Zeldin has been at the forefront of Trump's push to aggressively deregulate pollution protections and "unleash" fossil fuels, drawing fierce backlash from scientists and environment advocates alike.

Earlier this month the EPA suspended 139 employees after they signed a scathing open letter accusing Zeldin of pushing policies hazardous to both people and the planet.

H.Nasr--SF-PST