EPA puts 139 employees on leave after they criticized Trump's agenda

The Environmental Protection Agency has placed 139 employees on leave after they signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration's environmental policies.

The letter, titled a "Declaration of Dissent," accuses the Trump administration of undermining the EPA's mission of protecting the environment by promoting "harmful deregulation" and showing"disregard for scientific expertise."

The document, which was released publicly on Monday and which received 620 signatures, outlines several areas of concern. Those include changes to the EPA's research and development practices and cuts to its environmental justice initiatives, which provide funding to support vulnerable communities.

"Since January 2025, federal workers across the country have been denigrated and dismissed based on false claims of waste, fraud and abuse," the letter states. "Meanwhile, Americans have witnessed the unraveling of public health and environmental protections in the pursuit of political advantage."

Under EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the agency has cut funding for environmental improvements in minority communities and has vowed to roll back federal regulations that lower air pollution in national parks and tribal reservations.

An EPA spokesperson confirmed that 139 EPA staffers have been placed on administrative leave after signing the letter using their official titles and agency positions.

The spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News that the agency has a "zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting the administration's agenda as voted for by the great people of this country last November."

Employees were notified that they had been placed in a "temporary, non-duty, paid status" for the next two weeks, pending an investigation, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Associated Press. "It is important that you understand that this is not a disciplinary action," the email said.

According to Jeremy Berg, a former editor-in-chief of Science magazine, more than 170 EPA employees signed the letter, while another 100 signed anonymously out of fear of retaliation.

The EPA responded to the employees' letter earlier this week by saying policy decisions "are a result of a process where Administrator Zeldin is briefed on the latest research and science" by agency staff.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.