EPA employees seeking refuge in other agencies as possible Trump return looms

Employees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are shifting to other government agencies in anticipation of former President Donald Trump potentially being reelected, according to E&E News.

EPA employees are moving to seek work at “safer” governmental agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce, E&E News reported. Many federal employees are “very concerned” about potentially losing their jobs and being “specifically targeted” by the Trump administration if he returns to the Oval Office.

“People are worried, but anybody who has half a brain is existentially afraid for the safety of democracy,” an employee at the National Science Foundation told E&E News.

Trump has previously said that he would “demolish the deep state” if he is reelected and would make it easier to lay off federal employees, according to Politico.

“We have stopped doing any money-spending things because what if we’re without jobs in the next year?” a Department of the Interior employee told E&E News. “We need all the savings we can get.”

Trump has promised to make changes to the American energy sector if he is reelected, including pushing a “drill baby drill” agenda aimed at digging for oil. The American Petroleum Institute and the Chamber of Commerce have reportedly sought to defend some parts of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including tax credits for hydrogen fuel and carbon capture projects, in anticipation of potential repeals to the act if Trump is reelected.

The Biden-Harris administration has utilized the EPA and other agencies, including the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), to push policies for their environmental agenda. The DOI announced restrictions on oil leasing at a major Alaskan petroleum reserve in April, while the DOJ withdrew nine environmental rules in February 2021 that were previously put into place by the Trump administration.

The Biden-Harris administration has led a push for green energy appliances, including announcing in August almost $85 million in grants to boost production in the U.S. The DOE finalized “energy efficient” regulations for clothes washers and dryers in February.

The EPA awarded almost $14 billion in funding in April to organizations that have ties to both the Democratic party and the Biden administration to help finance operations for various green energy projects. The agency also dished out $600 million in funding for “environmental justice” projects in December.

The EPA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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