EPA’s research and development office eliminated; thousands laid off | FOX 51 Gainesville

EPA’s research and development office eliminated; thousands laid off

FILE - A bronze sign marking the entrance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters building. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)

The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it is eliminating its research and development arm and reducing agency staff by thousands of employees.

Office of Research and Development

The backstory:

The agency’s Office of Research and Development is the main science arm driving the EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health.

It has 10 facilities across the country, and was designed to be insulated from politics so it can produce essential science.

It currently has 1,540 positions, and as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists could be laid off, an earlier Congressional review of agency documents indicated.

What they're saying:

The EPA said in May it would reorganize as part of the Trump administration’s drive to shrink the size of the federal government and make it more efficient.

The EPA said it would shift its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that focus on major issues like air and water.

Presently:

On Friday, the agency announced it was eliminating the research and development office and introduced a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions that will allow it to focus on research and science "more than ever before."

By the numbers:

Once fully implemented, the changes will save the EPA nearly $750 million, officials said.

The other side:

Justin Chen, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents thousands of EPA employees, told the Associated Press the research office was "the heart and brain of the EPA."

"Without it, we don’t have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment,'' Chen said. "Its destruction will devastate public health in our country."

RELATED: Trump can resume mass federal layoffs for now, Supreme Court says

EPA layoffs

Meanwhile:

The EPA also said it is beginning the process to eliminate thousands of jobs, following a Supreme Court ruling last week that cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce.

By the numbers:

Total staffing at EPA will go down to 12,448, a reduction of more than 3,700 employees, or nearly 23%, from staffing levels in January when Trump took office, the agency said.

The Source: Information in this article was taken from information released by the EPA Friday, July 18, 2025, as reported by The Associated Press. Background information about the agency and the research office was also taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.

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