A bunch of Congressional Democrats mentioned they had been denied access to the Environmental Coverage Company (EPA) after making an attempt to fulfill with Division of Govt Potency (DOGE) officers and the company’s administrator, former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.).
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along side Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), attempted to go into EPA’s headquarters in Washington on Thursday however had been became away.
“We were just denied entrance into the EPA after asking to meet with a DOGE representative. More to come,” Markey posted on X.
They mentioned that a number of systems from the Inflation Aid Act aren’t being dispensed to grantees and warned that the possible discounts in investment may just bog down the company’s paintings of keeping transparent water and air.
“And right now, Elon Musk wants to turn EPA into every polluter’s ally – wants to take the environmental cops off the beat. That’s what this is all about,” Markey mentioned all the way through the Thursday press convention outdoor the EPA. “And we’re here today in order to make sure that we protect that right to clean water, to healthy communities, to clean air.”
“We just had a couple of simple questions for them,” the Massachusetts lawmakers added. “Are they nonetheless freezing EPA investment for all the blank air and blank water systems in our nation? Are they blocking off the vital paintings, which the EPA does every day, to give protection to the folks in our nation?”
Zeldin, who was once sworn into the function simply over every week in the past, was once in California on Thursday to evaluate restoration efforts after the devastating Los Angeles fires ultimate month.
Some grantees mentioned they had been not able to get entry to price range ultimate week after Trump’s government orders went into impact. Since then, others had been in a position to realize get entry to, however lawmakers on Thursday contend that some program’s price range are nonetheless frozen.
Previous this week, Democratic lawmakers had been additionally denied get entry to to the U.S. Company for Global Building (USAID), the company the present management has regarded to fold underneath the State Division’s umbrella. Different Capitol Hill Democrats weren’t authorized to go into the Division of the Treasury. Each businesses have noticed their headquarters being visited by way of DOGE officers.
“President Trump has made it clear, very clear that he cares about those polluters more than the bottom line for our public health,” Tonko mentioned on Thursday.
The Hill has reached out to the EPA for remark.
