The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the elimination of its research and development office Friday, along with thousands of job cuts that will save taxpayers nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.
The reduction in force (RIF) will target the Office of Research and Development, the EPA’s scientific research arm which informs decision making, the agency said.
The EPA expects the overhaul to result in $748.8 million in savings.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, 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 EPA previously announced that it planned to shift scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that handle “statutory obligations and mission essential functions,” such as ensuring clean air and water.
The agency also said it is creating a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions that will “allow EPA to prioritize research and science more than ever before and put it at the forefront of rulemakings and technical assistance to states.”
EPA union leader Justin Chen slammed the decision to axe the Office of Research and Development, which he described as “the heart and brain” of the agency.
“Without it, we don’t have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment,” Chen, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, said. “Its destruction will devastate public health in our country.”
The office employs about 1,540 staffers in 10 facilities across the country, according to agency documents.
Laboratory functions currently conducted by the office will continue, an EPA spokesperson said.
Overall, EPA plans to reduce total staffing at the agency by 23%, with the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that President Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce can move forward.
More than 3,700 staffers have agreed to resign, retire early or have been laid off since January, the agency said, noting that it plans to carry a workforce of 12,448 people, down from 16,155 when Trump took office.
With Post wires
