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National News
‘People are going to die:’ Hundreds of EPA workers hit Trump with dire plea
Nearly 300 employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have signed onto a letter of dissent published Monday in opposition to President Donald Trump’s environmental regulatory rollbacks, who, at the risk of retaliation, argued the administration’s actions will cost lives.
“People are going to die,” said Carol Greider, professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, speaking to The Associated Press. “And if we don’t have scientists at the EPA to understand how what we do that goes into the air affects our health, more people are going to die.”
The Trump administration has made significant budget cuts to the EPA and regulatory rollbacks on environmental policies, including broad pollution exemptions for industrial plants, while also vowing to halt environmental improvement projects for minority communities, among other initiatives.
The letter, signed by around 270 EPA employees, warns Trump that continued budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks not only threaten lives but also further scientific research necessary to combat climate change and other existential risks.
“Since the Agency’s founding in 1970, EPA has accomplished (its) mission by leveraging science, funding, and expert staff in service to the American people,” the letter reads, as reported by The Associated Press. “Today, we stand together in dissent against the current administration’s focus on harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise.”
The letter of dissent mirrors a letter signed by hundreds of scientists at the National Institutes of Health objecting to cuts and mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Raw Story reported that at a hearing last week of the House Subcommittee on Health, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to commit to not retaliating against those scientists for their dissent.
“Americans should be able to drink their water and breathe their air without being poisoned,” said Amelia Hertzberg, EPA environmental protection specialist, speaking with the Associated Press. “And if they aren’t, then our government is failing.”
National News
‘Don’t see how it gets done’: Republican puts Senate GOP leader on notice
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) questioned Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-SD) claim that they'll be ready to pass the budget bill by the end of the week.
The legislation, which President Donald Trump refers to as the "big, beautiful bill," has a hard deadline for July 4, according to the president, but it is growing less likely.
Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for Semafor, spoke to Johnson on Thursday about the likelihood of the bill passing this week.
“I don’t see how it gets done,” he said. “What I don’t want is all of a sudden: ‘the bill’s done, motion to proceed.’ Hold on, time out here.”
Top lawmakers often negotiate the bill without prior review, and others are expected to vote for it. This has became an issue in the House, where a provision in the bill barred states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade. Some Republicans were unaware the provision was included in the bill and have indicated they would not have voted to support it with that measure in place.
Johnson told Everett that if he can't review the bill, he's a no-vote.
He and a group of his fellow senators, which includes Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (FL), "all have to be a yes before any of us are a yes."
Republicans then headed to the White House to give a status update on the bill.
