About 139 EPA employees suspended for signing a declaration of dissent

Date

Jun 30, 2025

Kind

Mass workforce action

Legal outcome

Litigation pending

Source

govexec.com ↗

Agency or court

Environmental Protection Agency

What happened

Employees who signed a letter to Administrator Lee Zeldin protesting deregulation and the disregard of scientific expertise were placed on administrative leave pending investigation. After 80 days or more on leave, EPA fired 20 of them — seven of whom were probationary and so lacked Merit Systems Protection Board rights — and disciplined the rest. Six filed First Amendment challenges in December 2025; the others appealed to the MSPB.

Publisher

Government Executive

Full record

Read the full 47watch record →