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MEDIA ADVISORY |
Contact: Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate |
EPN Condemns EPA’s Proposed Budget: Massive Cuts to Enforcement and Key Programs Jeopardize Public Health and Environmental Protection
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) strongly condemns EPA’s newly released FY2026 Budget-in-Brief, which proposes a staggering 49% cut to enforcement, undermining the agency’s ability to uphold the nation’s environmental laws and protect public health. This unprecedented rollback would leave polluters unchecked, eliminate critical oversight and signal a dangerous abdication of EPA’s legal responsibility to ensure clean air, safe water, and healthy communities.
This enforcement cut represents a deliberate dismantling of the agency’s enforcement infrastructure. They will sharply curtail EPA’s ability to investigate violations, initiate legal actions, and monitor compliance across all environmental statutes. The consequences would reverberate through EPA’s partnerships with state agencies, many of which rely on federal funding and technical expertise to fulfill their enforcement obligations. Underserved states with limited resources would be especially hard hit, widening enforcement disparities across the country and leaving communities vulnerable to toxic exposures. At the same time, the elimination of environmental justice criteria and tools like EJSCREEN further erodes protections for historically overburdened populations, preventing EPA from addressing cumulative pollution risks and ensuring equitable oversight. In effect, the enforcement rollback undermines national consistency, strips the agency of its statutory oversight authority, and signals to chronic violators that accountability is no longer a federal priority.
Equally alarming are the proposed 50% cut to the Brownfields Program and a 65% cut to air and energy research. These reductions directly contradict Administrator Lee Zeldin’s recent testimony to Congress, where he asserted support for brownfields revitalization. The proposed budget abandons that commitment, jeopardizing community efforts to safely redevelop contaminated sites and stimulate local economies. Slashing air and energy research paralyzes the agency’s ability to address current pollution threats and future climate challenges.
The proposed 56% cut to EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) Research Program further demonstrates the administration’s disregard for science-based solutions and community resilience. SHC supports local decision-makers in revitalizing contaminated sites, managing materials for a circular economy and assessing the cumulative impacts of pollution and climate change. This program develops tools used daily by EPA regions and state partners to clean up toxic sites, address threats like PFAS and vapor intrusion, and support long-term public health protection. Cutting SHC undercuts efforts to build community resilience, protect children’s health and prevent future contamination across the country.
Taken together, these cuts reflect a retreat from science, accountability, and EPA’s core mission. EPN calls on Congress to reject this budget and reaffirm its commitment to the health, safety, and environmental integrity of every American community.
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ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK
Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network harnesses the expertise of more than 650 former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former scientists and regulators with decades of historical and subject matter knowledge.