Overview

• About 140 EPA employees nationwide have been placed on paid administrative leave for signing a June 30 dissent letter addressed to Administrator Lee Zeldin.
• The declaration of dissent, signed by over 600 current and former EPA staff and thousands of citizens including Nobel laureates, cited politicization of science, dismantling of research and environmental justice offices, and a culture of fear.
• AFGE locals in Philadelphia and New York City staged separate protests this week, with roughly 150 union members and allies demanding immediate reinstatement of suspended workers.
• EPA press secretary Brigit Hirsch defended the action as enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy against career bureaucrats who “undermine, sabotage and undercut” the administration’s agenda.
• The scope and duration of the agency’s investigation remain unclear, prompting legal challenges and heightening concerns about retaliation and the future of EPA’s scientific mission.