EXCLUSIVE: Trump EPA Warns Democrat Shutdown Jeopardizes Vital Operations

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Every day the Democrat government shutdown drags on, it becomes more difficult for President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency to maintain certain critical operations, a spokesperson told The Daily Signal.

“The Trump EPA is committed to protecting the environment and ensuring America has the cleanest air, land and water in the world while growing our economy, but Democrats are content to allow our funding to run out,” a spokesperson said. “They are preventing us from securing funding needed to continue these important programs and impeding our ability to deliver clean air, land, and water for Americans.”

Thus far, the EPA has avoided interruptions to mission critical agency functions. But the agency warns that the longer Senate Democrats refuse to pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government, the more difficult it becomes to avoid actions that directly impact or harm the American people, an EPA spokesperson said.

The government has been shutdown for 21 days as Democrats demand the continuing resolution includes an extension of Obamacare subsidies.

The EPA’s contingency planned, released Sept. 29, ensures critical operations continue through the shutdown. During the shutdown, the agency has updated guidance to protect Americans from lead exposure by accelerating cleanup at contaminated sites. The EPA also issued guidance preventing wildfires and ordering prescribed fires to reduce the impact of wildfires.

However, after weeks of shutdown, the agency is unsure how long it can continue delivering on presidential priorities before it runs out of money.

If the agency can’t secure funding for its key programs, functions could be hindered, including approval of state air and water cleanup plans; protection of EPA land, buildings, equipment, and research; inspections of toxic chemical and pesticide facilities; and new permit issuances.

Another program that would likely be put on hold is the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which provides grants and technical assistance to help communities clean up and reuse land previously developed for industrial or commercial purposes.

“EPA has been strategic in implementing the president’s priorities and maintaining key agency functions throughout the shutdown,” Mandy Gunasekara, EPA chief of staff under Trump 45, told The Daily Signal. “As Democrats extend the shutdown and dig in on their political priorities, they stand to undermine the EPA’s capacity to deliver vital cleanup resources, particularly through the Brownfields Program, which supports communities in addressing legacy pollution.”

The EPA’s environmental justice initiatives will face reductions or closures if the shutdown continues, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said Wednesday on “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

The agency is on a path to reduce the size of its workforce from 16,421 employees to approximately 12,500 full-time employees by the end of the calendar year.

The EPA says these changes are already resulting in savings for the American public, in addition to the over $29 billion the agency has saved through canceling or reducing grants, contracts, and other spending.

If the shutdown continues, 90% of agency will have to be furloughed, seriously restricting agency function.

The EPA’s largest union, the American Federation of Government Employees Council, said furloughs at EPA threaten “every American’s right to clean air, safe water, and uncontaminated soil.”

“When the essential services that EPA workers provide stop, that means pollution monitoring, toxic cleanup, and other public health protections stall and communities suffer,” Justin Chen, the EPA union’s president, said in a statement.

The EPA spokesperson slammed Democrats for prioritizing health care for illegal immigrants over environmental progress.

“They are prioritizing their own radical policy agenda that could undermine both environmental progress and economic stability in pursuit of their $1.5 trillion poison-packed wish list at the expense of the American people,” the EPA spokesperson said. “Congressional Democrats can end this shutdown right now by voting for our clean, bipartisan funding extension instead of playing political games.”

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