Staffers from the division were notified about the RIF through the public press release, said Kyla Bennett, director of science policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Staff were then notified about an all-staff meeting scheduled for Monday.
Bennett said the manner in which the RIF was communicated was “cruel and shortsighted.”
“Trump’s EPA clearly doesn’t care about scientific research or protecting human health and the environment any more than they care for the scientists who have dedicated their lives to serving the American people,” she said.