Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news regarding law and policy changes that impact science and scientists today.
The Trump administration has blocked funding for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), the agency’s main science division.
An email sent 7 May and first reported by E&E News said that research laboratory funding had been stopped except for requests related to health and safety. Nature then obtained additional internal e-mails regarding the funding freeze which were confirmed by anonymous EPA sources.
“Lab research will wind down over the next few weeks as we will no longer have the capability to acquire supplies and materials,” one of the emails said.
The freeze appears to disregard a Congressional spending agreement that guaranteed EPA funding at 2024 levels through September.
On 2 May, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced a “reorganization” within the EPA to ensure that its research “directly advances statutory obligations and mission-essential functions.” Zeldin assured members of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology that ORD would not experience significant changes during the reorganization, and this latest funding freeze seems to break that promise.
“We are unsure if these laboratory activities will continue post-reorganization,” the 7 May email stated. “Time and funding would be needed to reconstitute activities.”
The EPA told E&E News that the email was “factually inaccurate” and that ORD is not part of the planned reorganization.
But Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, who served as principal deputy assistant administrator at ORD during Trump’s first presidency, said that “They have basically shut ORD down by cutting off the money.”
The 2 May reorganization announcement also included a deadline for the nearly 1,500 ORD staff to either apply for a new position within the EPA, retire, or resign. That deadline is at 11:59 on 9 May. Fewer than 500 new jobs have been posted at the agency, and hundreds of EPA employees have already been fired.
—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@astrokimcartier.bsky.social), Staff Writer
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