The Trump administration has warned hundreds of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staffers that they could be fired “immediately.”
The email was sent to more than 1,100 employees hired within the past year who have probationary status, including new hires and employees who took new roles at the agency, according to The New York Times. The notice went out within days of the Senate confirming Trump’s pick to lead the agency, former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
“As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you,” the email says.
EPA spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou said the goal of the email was to be “transparent” about the agency, according to the Times.
“On his first day in office, he engaged directly with career staff across E.P.A.’s headquarters — spanning two city blocks in downtown D.C. — listening to their insights and perspectives,” Vaseliou said. “Ultimately, the goal is to create a more effective and efficient federal government that serves all Americans.”
In one of his first actions as EPA administrator, Zeldin is traveling to East Palestine, Ohio, with Vice President JD Vance on Monday to inspect the site of the train crash and chemical spill that upended life in the small town two years ago.