Another U.S. agency to sack 3,700 workers

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to sack more than 3,700 employees, as part of sweeping government cuts under President Donald Trump’s second term.

This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture fired 70 foreign contract researchers.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tasked with ensuring clean air, land, and water counted 16,155 employees.

Under the third round of “Deferred Resignation Program” cuts, that figure will drop to 12,448, a 22.9 percent reduction.

The cuts are made up of employees who took deferred resignation – a program pushed by former Trump administration chief cost-cutter Elon Musk – along with those who opted for early retirement or were laid off.

The EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, in a statement on Friday, July 18, 2025, said: “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.

“This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.”

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Zeldin added that cuts would generate $748.8 million in savings.

The White House is seeking to slash the EPA’s budget by 54 percent to $4.2 billion for Fiscal Year 2026, AFP reported.

Friday’s announcement drops staffing to below the 12,856 full-time positions outlined in the president’s proposed budget.

The agency’s scientific research arm – the Office of Research and Development – is also being dismantled, replaced by a smaller Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions.

According to the EPA, the new office will work to eliminate backlogs in reviewing hundreds of chemicals and thousands of pesticides, while developing a new strategy to address so-called “forever chemicals,” or PFAS.

Zeldin has been at the forefront of Trump’s push to aggressively deregulate pollution protections and “unleash” fossil fuels, drawing fierce backlash from scientists and environment advocates alike.

Earlier this month, the EPA suspended 139 employees after they signed a scathing open letter accusing Zeldin of pushing policies hazardous to both people and the planet.

The Star