Over 1,000 EPA Employees Face Immediate Termination

Over 1,000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees received an email notification saying they could lose their jobs “immediately.”

According to the New York Post, many of the workers on the chopping block were hired by the Biden administration to work on climate change and environmental regulation programs.

Employees at the agency for less than a year received the email saying they could be terminated immediately since they’re likely on a “probationary/ trial period.”

BREAKING: More than 1,000 EPA employees have been informed of their immediate termination. pic.twitter.com/kbqHFVMngH

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 4, 2025

“As a probationary/ trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you,” the email said, according to NBC News.

“The process for probationary removal is that you receive a notice of termination, and your employment is ended immediately,” it added.

Oh my goodness, this is shocking news. The E.P.A. tells more than 1,000 employees that they could be fired immediately.

Their work on grappling/tackling climate change would be seriously imperiled. pic.twitter.com/cqoPcKcj3a

— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) February 3, 2025

Per NBC News:

About 1,100 employees received the email, according to Marie Owens Powell, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, a union that represents about 8,500 EPA staffers. Powell said she had received the list of employees from the agency.

“No probationary employee has been let go yet,” Powell said. “It was scary for people to receive the message, as you can imagine, and we’re inundated with questions from those folks. The agency obviously can dismiss probationary employees, but it has to be for cause.”

Powell added that if employees are dismissed, the union will “ensure there was a valid cause and the process was followed.”

It’s not clear how many EPA employees will be targeted for cuts. The email comes during a strong push by the Trump administration to downsize the government. It has offered federal employees buyouts, attempted to temporarily freeze federal aid and sought to close the U.S. Agency for International Development. EPA employees were among the federal workers who received the buyout offer, which was titled “Fork in the Road.”

BREAKING:

1,000 EPA employees have just been notified that they could be laid off immediately.

And the good news keeps on coming! pic.twitter.com/RbxbN8xaFL

— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) February 4, 2025

1,000 EPA EMPLOYEES WARNED OF IMMEDIATE TERMINATION

More than 1,100 EPA employees received emails warning they could be fired due to their probationary status.

Union leaders call it “terrorizing,” as even tenured workers who recently changed roles were targeted.… https://t.co/b5jEsh5bP0 pic.twitter.com/jPut915R7E

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 1, 2025

From the New York Post:

The apparent move to kick out probationary employees comes after President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management announced a government-wide return to in-person work, as well as buyouts for millions of federal workers not willing to comply.

“Operationally, it’s important to get employees back into the office and working and collaborating,” Zeldin told The Post in an exclusive interview last week. “I’ve been told that the EPA building is often at about 20% capacity on any given day. I’ll be able to confirm that firsthand once I’m in the building.”

Federal employee unions and critics of the administration’s energy policies have decried the efforts, with Environmental Protection Network executive director Michelle Roos characterizing the move to the Times as a “vindictive purge of public servants.”

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Marie Owens-Powell, who runs the American Federation of Government Employees chapter representing around 8,000 EPA staffers, also told the outlet that despite the workers being on probationary status, they still must be fired for cause — and her union is exploring legal options to combat the move.

AFGE has already sued to halt an executive action making it easier to fire federal workers.

An email Monday morning also revealed that EPA staff were temporarily barred from accessing the agency’s internal network, which they need to get documents for their relevant work projects, but spokeswoman Vaseliou claimed that the issue was due to “an outage.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.