Report Shows EPA is Swiftly Being Hollowed Out Under Second Trump Administration
September 3, 2025 – Under Administrator Zeldin, the EPA is experiencing an internal assault worse than any other in the agency’s history. According to a new report by the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI), since January, the Zeldin-led EPA has begun to dismantle the health and environmental protections it’s congressionally mandated to implement–in many cases doing so without consulting Congress. Among its actions, the EPA has proposed to Congress a stunning 54.4% cut in EPA’s budget for fiscal year 2026, a cut that surpasses any proposals by previous EPA leadership, including the high water mark set under the first Trump administration. What’s more, EPA’s workforce has already been reduced twice as much as the amount proposed, EDGI finds. Meanwhile, the agency has hit historic lows in its regulatory activity. In EDGI interviews, staff describe an internal environment characterized by “intentional inefficiencies” and “malignant neglect.” “In a short time, Zeldin has done more damage to the EPA than any previous administration,” says lead author Chris Sellers. “Rather than an EPA that works for the health of the public, Zeldin is reshaping the EPA to work for polluters and the wealthy.” ### The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) analyzes federal environmental data, websites, institutions, and policy. We seek to improve environmental data stewardship and to promote environmental health and environmental justice.Press Release: Report Shows EPA is Swiftly Being Hollowed Out Under Second Trump Administration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2025
CONTACT: Report authors are available to answer media questions. To arrange an interview, please direct media inquiries to shannanlenke.stoll@envirodatagov.org.