Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said Friday that anyone who is uncommitted to carrying out President Trump’s directives may not belong at the agency.
“I don’t believe that anyone should be here at EPA who is not committed to the agency mission and the lawful directives coming from the duly elected president of the United States,” Zeldin told reporters.
However, he also said he valued people who may have different opinions on how to best carry out Trump’s policies.
“I love hearing a diversity of view and thought on decisions that we have to make here within the agency,” Zeldin said.
“When a lawful directive comes from the president of the United States, any president of the United States, to have an agency achieve a goal within a deadline, there are oftentimes many different ways to get that done,” he added.
Zeldin, who was confirmed to lead the EPA on Wednesday, also predicted that there will be “a headcount reduction in agencies all across the federal government.”
“For us, we have to closely monitor who is deciding to stay and who’s deciding to go, and making sure that we’re filling all of our most important positions with urgency,” he added.
His comments come after the Trump administration sent a memo to federal employees offering buyouts if they do not wish to return to work. It also comes after Trump has indicated that he could use a tool called “Schedule F” to make it easier to fire career officials.
Opponents of doing so have expressed concerns that such cuts could result in a “brain drain” at science agencies like the EPA.
