President Trump said Wednesday that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has floated cutting the agency’s workforce by up to 65 percent.
Speaking at the inaugural Cabinet meeting of his second term, Trump said Zeldin “thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from environmental. And we’re going to speed up the process, too, at the same time.”
Zeldin, a former New York congressman, was not present at the meeting Wednesday.
The EPA has a permanent staff of 17,202 as well as 1,540 temporary workers, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Trump’s comments come amid wide-reaching job cuts across federal agencies, with more reportedly coming including at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The cuts have largely targeted probationary employees, which applies to both recent hires and those who have recently received promotions, and many agencies have scrambled to rehire some personnel.
On Feb. 11, the president signed an executive order directing widespread federal layoffs, prompting a lawsuit by six unions representing government workers. On Wednesday, the Office of Personnel Management issued more specific guidance directing federal agencies to turn over layoff plans by March 13.