Whitehouse Slams EPA’s Elimination of Primary Research Office, Firing of Scientific Experts

Washington, D.C.—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it was eliminating the Office of Research and Development and firing hundreds of scientists:

“For decades, the Office of Research and Development has led the way in protecting Americans from dangerous pollutants.  Its work has made our air cleaner, our lives longer, and our children healthier.  Administrator Zeldin’s attempts to silence the science won’t erase the harms of toxic chemicals, but it will leave all of us dangerously unprepared to face them.  He clearly lied when he testified that he would respect the science and listen to the experts; he’s too busy firing them.”