By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration has fired some Environmental Protection Agency employees after they signed a letter critical of the Trump administration's policies in late June, the EPA said on Friday.
The EPA did not mention how many people were fired and said the June petition had information that the agency called inaccurate. The Washington Post cited union officials to say at least seven EPA employees were fired.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The development is
likely to fuel concerns that the Trump administration does not tolerate dissent. Earlier this week, some employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were put on leave after they signed an open letter against the agency's leadership.
CONTEXT
The June letter, titled as a "Declaration of Dissent," accused the federal government of engaging in "harmful deregulation," "ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters" and "promoting a culture of fear" within the agency.
In early July, the EPA placed about 140 employees on administrative leave after they signed the letter and said it has "zero-tolerance" for those sabotaging the government's agenda.
KEY QUOTES
"Following a thorough internal investigation, EPA supervisors made decisions on an individualized basis. EPA does not comment on individual personnel matters," an agency spokesperson said.
"The petition — signed by employees using a combination of their titles and offices — contains inaccurate information designed to mislead the public about agency business," it added.
The union representing EPA employees criticized the firings.
"The Trump administration and EPA's retaliatory actions against these workers was clearly an assault on labor and free speech rights," Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, a nationwide union that represents more than 8,000 EPA employees, said in a statement cited in the Washington Post.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
