Following the spring 2025 'EPA Declaration of Dissent' by over 140 career employees opposing agency shifts under the Trump administration, Administrator Lee Zeldin placed 144 signers on paid administrative leave. A New Yorker article questions the EPA's survival under his leadership, drawing Heartland Institute rebuttals defending the mild response.
In response to the 'Declaration of Dissent'—previously covered in reporting on EPA overhauls—a group of 144 career EPA employees publicly criticized Administrator Lee Zeldin for cutting 'environmental justice' funding (impacting Black, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities), undermining public trust, promoting misinformation, and backing Trump's tariffs.
Zeldin placed the signers on temporary administrative leave with full pay and benefits, a move the Heartland Institute called a 'slap on the wrist' akin to paid vacation, while noting the EPA's role in executing presidential policy. The New Yorker article 'Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin?' portrayed the discipline critically, also highlighting Zeldin's past congressional voting record (22% deviation from conservative stances per Heritage Action) and a September 12, 2025, EPA newsletter tribute 'In Loving Memory' to assassinated Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
This development builds on earlier resistance, including firings and legal appeals by signers, underscoring ongoing tensions at the agency.