Mass Firings of Federal Workers Could Halt Critical Energy and Environmental Protections

The recent purge of federal workers from key agencies across the federal government includes those tasked with implementing critical environmental laws and policies.

Since President Trump took office, thousands of federal employees, including employees in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and at the U.S. Forest Service, have been fired with little or no explanation. The Trump administration fired 388 EPA employees who were in their first year of federal service. Nearly 2,000 Department of Energy workers overseeing clean energy and vehicle projects, modernizing and strengthening the power grid, and managing nuclear weapon fleets were terminated. Ten percent of the Forest Service, about 3,400 employees, were dismissed, hollowing out the agency responsible for wildlife protection and watershed restoration at a time when drought and wildfire risk are at their highest.

“The Trump administration’s unwarranted cuts to federal agencies and dismissal of thousands of government workers will undermine the essential systems we need to protect public health and the environment,” said Raúl García, Earthjustice Vice President of Policy and Legislation. “These workers ensure we have clean water to drink and electricity to power our homes and drive cities’ economic growth through infrastructure projects and job creation. These firings will cause widespread, tangible harm across the country and must be stopped.”