Zeldin’s illegal plan to gut the federal agency is poised to torpedo environmental safeguards while undermining the Constitution

Washington (March 5, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), Committee member Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-M.D), who represents nearly 150,000 federal workers, and all EPW Democrats in demanding answers from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about his illegal scheme to gut the agency. President Trump recently announced that Administrator Zeldin planned to fire 65 percent of staff at EPA, but Administrator Zeldin subsequently clarified that he actually plans to slash EPA spending by at least 65 percent. 

Either would be devastating.  Firing more than 10,000 EPA workers or making deep budget cuts would make it impossible for the agency to protect the American public’s clean air and water and to prevent toxic pollution, and any of Administrator Zeldin’s efforts to manipulate agency spending levels would violate congressional authority.

“Your intention to do either of these things—fire large numbers of EPA staff or proceed with deep budget cuts—raises serious concerns.  EPA could not fulfill its mission of protecting our air and water and preventing toxic pollution if its staff or budget were cut by 65 percent.  Moreover, you do not have legal authority to set EPA’s spending levels; that power is reserved under Article I of the Constitution to Congress,” wrote Senators Markey, Whitehouse, Alsobrooks, Sanders, Merkley, Kelly, Padilla, Schiff, and Blunt Rochester. 

“[A]ny decision to fire large numbers of EPA staff calls into question the probity of the statements you made on this subject at your confirmation hearing not even two months ago.  Each time you were asked about your plans for agency staffing, you assured Committee members that you looked forward to working ‘collaboratively’ with EPA’s dedicated staff …. During your confirmation hearing, you also told members of the Committee on eight separate occasions that you would ‘not prejudge[e] outcomes’ or made substantially identical statements.  It is difficult to understand how a decision to cut two-thirds of a federal agency’s staff or budget when Trump-affiliated groups had been urging a similar course of action since before President Trump even took office is anything other than a ‘prejudged outcome,’” the Senators continued.  “Please describe how you believe that any largescale firing of EPA employees will ‘support career staff who have dedicated’ themselves to EPA’s mission and ‘foster a collaborative culture within the agency,’ as you pledged under oath to do during your confirmation hearing.”

In accordance with the President’s directives to gut the civil service, agency heads are required to submit their plans for cutting staff to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) by March 13, 2025. EPW Democrats are demanding answers from Administrator Zeldin by March 11, 2025.

The text of the letter is below, and a full version (with footnotes) is available HERE.