EPA to terminate 280 climate and DEI staffers in sweeping purge

Washington D.C. – On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency began the process of terminating hundreds of employees as part of a sweeping “reduction in force” (RIF), marking the latest move in the agency’s ongoing restructuring efforts under Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The agency initiated termination proceedings for approximately 280 employees involved in environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. An additional 175 staffers were reassigned to new roles across the agency. The changes follow a series of dramatic shifts at the EPA over recent months, including the rollback of major environmental regulations and the end of remote work for most employees.

“Today, EPA notified diversity, equity, and inclusion and environmental justice employees that EPA will be conducting a Reduction in Force in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Workforce Reshaping Handbook and federal regulations governing RIF procedures,” EPA spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou said in a statement. “The agency also notified certain statutory and mission essential employees that they are being reassigned to other offices.”

According to internal documentation obtained by NBC News, the RIF will take effect on July 31. A memorandum sent to affected employees referenced President Trump’s executive order to restructure the federal workforce, stating that the effort is aimed at transforming the government to better serve American families, workers, and taxpayers.

The memorandum reads, “President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people. Part of this mandate includes the issuance of an Executive Order that directs the critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy to empower American families, workers, taxpayers and our system of government itself.”

Last month, the EPA announced significant rollbacks to long-standing environmental protections, including provisions of the Clean Air Act. Administrator Zeldin framed the changes as part of a broader ideological shift, saying the agency would “drive a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion.”

In February, the EPA placed several environmental justice staffers on administrative leave and terminated probationary employees. The agency also ended its telework policies for most staff, further signaling a reorientation of its internal structure and policy priorities.

The restructuring has drawn sharp criticism from environmental and civil rights groups, who argue that dismantling programs focused on climate and equity undermines the agency’s core mission. EPA leadership, however, maintains the changes are necessary to refocus the agency on what it calls “mission-essential” functions.

The agency has not released further details on which departments or regions will be most affected by the staffing reductions.