'65 – or so – percent': Donald Trump says EPA administrator planning major cuts
This story has been updated to add new information.
President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that big cuts are coming at the Environmental Protection Agency, saying EPA administrator Lee Zeldin is contemplating a significant workforce reduction.
"I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he's going to be cutting 65 – or so – percent of the people from environmental, and we're going to speed up the process too at the same time," Trump said during his first Cabinet meeting.
A White House official said Trump was referring to overall spending cuts at the EPA with the 65% number, and that will include staff cuts.
"Administrator Zeldin is committed to eliminating 65% of the EPA’s wasteful spending,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Paste BN.
The agency is tasked with safeguarding the environment and human health by enforcing federal clean air, water and land regulations, along with other environmental rules.
The EPA had 15,130 employees in the 2024 fiscal year and submitted a budget in October to increase the workforce by 2,023 employees "to continue rebuilding the Agency’s core capacity to carry out its vital mission."
A major reduction of the EPA workforce could impact the agency's core functions. Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous accused Trump and Zeldin of pushing a "sinister plan" that would harm public health and "increase the risk of deadly climate change-fueled weather events and natural disasters."
“Let’s call this what it is: sabotage of the Environmental Protection Agency and the critical work it performs every day," Jealous said in a statement.
Trump has long said he wants to rollback environmental rules, with an eye toward the nation's energy industries. The president declared when he announced Zeldin as his choice for EPA administrator that he would "ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses."
Zeldin said during his confirmation hearing that “We must ensure we are protecting the environment while also protecting our economy."
Trump mentioned Zeldin's job-cutting plans during a broader discussion Wednesday about the push by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to dramatically reduce the federal workforce. Musk spoke during the Cabinet hearing about DOGE, which has received increasing pushback as it blitzes through federal agencies with layoffs and other spending cuts.
Trump said he's asking each federal agency do its own version of DOGE and trim spending.
“President Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin are in lock step in creating a more efficient and effective federal government," the EPA said in a statement that added the agency will cut "wasteful grants" and look at "organizational improvements to the personnel structure."