PRESS RELEASE

STATEMENT | The Trump Administration’s Purge of the Civil Service

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Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, issued the following statement in response to efforts by the Trump administration to purge the civil service of disloyal employees.

“In the past week, the Trump administration has made numerous sweeping decisions that dismantle the checks and balances in our government and pave the way for widespread corruption and dysfunction in federal agencies. These actions will harm the federal workforce, the American people, and our environment.

“Late Friday, in one such action, the White House terminated effective immediately at least 17 Inspectors General (IG) ‘due to changing priorities.’

“We have no doubt the President fired these IGs because they were carrying out their responsibilities in a non-partisan manner. For example, EPA’s IG, a Trump appointee and one of those fired by the President, recently issued a series of reports finding that EPA scientists were retaliated against during Trump’s first term after they objected to management pressure to make chemicals appear safer than they actually were.

“The administration has also issued orders and directives:

  • Moving ahead with its plan to implement “Schedule F,” a new employment category that will strip protections from civil servants perceived as disloyal to the President and encourage expressions of allegiance to the President when hiring.
  • Directing agencies to place all employees on administrative leave who work on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues (DEI) or environmental justice issues and to fire these workers where possible within 60 days.
  • Ordering agencies to delay adopting rules required under new regulations that would limit the use of administrative leave where employees are sent home for extended periods.
  • Pausing all environmental enforcement and even prohibiting “communications with external entities.”
  • Telling agencies to compile and forward to the Office of Personnel Management lists of all employees still in their probationary period. Government agencies may generally fire these employees at will.

“These moves are designed to weaken the federal government and inflict pain and trauma on those who have values and beliefs different than those of this administration. They will benefit wealthy corporations and individuals who vehemently oppose federal environmental and public health protections and politicians who want to return to the spoils systems of government, where government jobs are awarded based not on merit but on loyalty to the President.

“Contrary to the administration’s rhetoric, the world faces serious environmental and public health challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, the overuse of toxic chemicals, and the spread of emerging diseases. The country needs a strong, dedicated, non-political civil service to help address these threats, something this administration seems determined to destroy.”

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