Listen to this article

EPA Cuts Staff to 1980s Levels, Slashes $300 Million Budget; NIOSH Layoffs Impact Worker Safety Programs

23 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)

Updated May 4, 2025, 12:38 AM

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a broad reorganization under Administrator Lee Zeldin, aiming to reduce staff to levels not seen since the 1980s and cut the agency's budget by $300 million for fiscal year 2026. This restructuring includes dissolving the EPA's research and development office and reallocating scientists to divisions focused on air, water, and chemical safety. The changes are part of the Trump administration's broader effort to cut costs and streamline the agency's operations, with a stated goal of enhancing efficiency while maintaining core environmental protection missions.

Concurrently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has seen nearly all of its remaining staff laid off. These layoffs have severely impacted worker safety programs, including approvals of new safety equipment such as N95 respirators and investigations into firefighter injuries. The workforce reductions at NIOSH follow earlier mass firings at the Department of Health and Human Services, effectively gutting the agency's ability to carry out its occupational health and safety responsibilities. The EPA's reorganization and budget cuts coincide with the Trump administration's proposed reductions in renewable energy, environmental, and climate programs. Administrator Zeldin has defended the reorganization as necessary to improve agency efficiency and better serve the American people, emphasizing a focus on clean air, water, and land protection rather than broader diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives or climate grants.

More breaking stories on DeepNewz — updated live.

#EPA #Lee Zeldin #Trump #NIOSH #CDC #Zeldin #American

Related Prediction Markets

# of jobs Elon and DOGE cut in 2025?

Will Elon cut the budget by at least 5% in 2025?

Will Elon cut the budget by at least 10% in 2025?

•

Sources

reuters.com(5)cbsnews.com(3)news.bloomberglaw.com(3)newsweek.com(2)

CBS News Texas

@CBSNewsTexas

Worker safety agency NIOSH lays off most remaining staff https://t.co/3dayLWMKap

Randi Weingarten 🇺🇸💪🏿👩‍🎓🟣🇺🇦

@rweingarten

NIOSH is one of the agencies in charge of worker safety. Firing most of its staff leaves the agency unable to do its job & keep workplaces safe. If the Trump administration truly cared about working people, they wouldn’t be doing this. https://t.co/jLqJcpBDVt

Bloomberg Law: Environment

@environment

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin took steps to address uncertainty over how the Trump administration’s deregulatory efforts could affect previously issued and planned “forever chemical” regulations. https://t.co/wzezqEefyL