House Science, Space, and Technology Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Deborah Ross (D-NC) and House Science, Space, and Technology Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Gabe Amo (D-RI) led 88 of their colleagues in demanding answers as to why President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin shut down the Office of Research and Development, which conducts scientific research the EPA uses to keep our air, water, and soil safe.
The Members write:
“We are alarmed by your decision to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), the cornerstone of scientific policymaking at the Agency. ORD research informed the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act, ensuring that the air Americans breathe and the water they drink are safe and free from dangerous pollutants. Without ORD, EPA will be unable to fulfill its mission to protect human health and the environment.”
“Since January, approximately one-fifth of ORD employees have accepted early retirement. Closing ORD through additional Reductions in Force and reassignments of ORD staff will deprive the Agency of the skilled workforce needed to ensure policies are grounded in the latest science. Gutting EPA’s scientific brain trust will delay the development of new standards needed to protect the health and wellbeing of Americans. Additionally, the brain drain will hamper EPA’s ability to understand and respond to future environmental risks.”
“Your mission to abandon unbiased science, slash EPA’s workforce, and gut critical environmental protections does nothing to protect the health and safety of Americans and their environment.”
The full letter can be found here.
The letter is signed by Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Becca Balint (D-VT), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Donald Beyer (D-VA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Ed Case (D-HI), Sean Casten (D-IL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Laura Friedman (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jesús García (D-IL), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Pablo Hernández (D-PR), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Henry Johnson (D-GA), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), William Keating (D-MA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Rick Larsen (D-WA), John Larson (D-CT), Summer Lee (D-PA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), John Mannion (D-NY), Sarah McBride (D-DE), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-MA), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Dave Min (D-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Luz Rivas (D-CA), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Robert Scott (D-VA), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), George Whitesides (D-CA), Nikema Williams (D-GA).