FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2025
CONTACT: Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
Government Reopens, But EPA’s “Internal Shutdown” Continues
“The shutdown may be over, but American families are still paying the price for an EPA that’s been closed for business when it comes to protecting their health.”
Washington D.C. – The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) welcomed the end of the federal government shutdown today, but warned that Americans remain unprotected from toxic chemicals, unsafe drinking water, and polluted air due to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s ongoing dismantling of the agency from within.
“The damage to EPA and Americans’ health didn’t start with the shutdown, and it won’t end here,” said Marc Boom, Senior Director at EPN and former EPA policy advisor. “Administrator Zeldin has been shutting down EPA from the inside since January—blocking science, halting enforcement, rolling back safeguards that protect every family in America and proposing drastic budget cuts that would cripple EPA’s ability to safeguard clean water and air.”
Even with the government open, the risks to Americans’ health remain severe. By weakening enforcement, rolling back protections, and favoring industry interests over science, EPA leadership has left families more vulnerable to toxic chemical exposures, contaminated water, and long-term health harms. Families are also paying the price financially—forced to shoulder the cost of higher utility bills, filters, bottled water, and medical bills when the government refuses to hold polluters accountable.
“The shutdown may be over, but American families are still paying the price for an EPA that’s been closed for business when it comes to protecting their health,” said Boom. “Congress must pass a full, bipartisan budget that restores EPA’s capacity—and hold its leadership accountable for serving the public, not the polluters.”
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Founded in 2017, Environmental Protection Network harnesses the expertise of more than 700 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. Find all of EPN’s recent press statements here.