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US Environmental Agency puts 139 employees on Leave after criticizing Trump's Policies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has placed 139 employees in administrative leave following a letter they signed criticizing President Donald Trump's policy.

The letter, titled "Declaration of Dissent," was made public this week. The letter accused the federal agency of "harmful deregulation," of "ignoring scientific consensus in order to benefit polluters," and of "promoting a climate of fear."

The letter was sent as another round of expected staff reductions is looming and as the agency undergoes major reorganization. This includes the dissolution and cancellation of millions of dollars of grants and its office of Research.

The letter was signed by hundreds of EPA employees, both current and those who had recently been terminated. As of Thursday evening, the public version of this letter had removed the names of signatories.

Before it was made public, an earlier version of this letter was sent internally to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a policy of zero tolerance for career bureaucrats who illegally undermine, sabotage, and undercut the agenda of the administration, the EPA stated in a Thursday statement.

The EPA said the letter misleads public about the agency's business. It also placed 139 employees, pending investigation, on administrative leave for signing the letters using their official titles.

The EPA reorganization consolidates several key offices to reflect plans to reduce regulatory red tape and encourage more fossil fuel energy developments, as laid down in Trump's Executive Orders.

Employees of the National Institutes of Health sent a similar statement to their director in June to protest politicalization of research and disruption of science progress. (Reporting and editing by Lincoln Feast in Washington. Kanishka Singh is the Washington correspondent.

(source: Reuters)