EPA, NOAA Face Steep Cuts in Revised Trump Budget Plan

Several federal environmental agencies are facing cuts of at least 28% under the Trump administration's new budget blueprint that was released late Friday.

Departments such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service would see deep and specific cuts for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1 under a budget proposal released by the Office of Management and Budget, The Hill reported Monday.

The EPA would see a 34.7% cut to its payroll for science staff and staff working on environmental programs and environmental management. The Park Service would see a 30% cut to its staff in charge of its system operations. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would get a 28.4% cut to its staff operations, research and facilities payroll.

But the cuts aren't just for staff. A number of offices related to energy and environmental research, as well as disaster response, are reduced or eliminated, The Hill reported. The new blueprint for example eliminates the NOAA's office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and it also cuts federal assistance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency by 31.9%.

White House budget requests are typically seen as a signal of an administration's priorities rather than a realistic road map because Congress controls appropriations, The Hill reported. The Trump administration has signaled it is willing to go further to challenge congressional authority by instituting massive layoffs at many agencies with more on the horizon.

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