As soon as the group of legislators entered the lobby of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, they were met with stiff indifference.

Attired in a blue suit and a scarf that read “Climate Can’t Wait,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) stepped forward, identifying himself and his colleagues. “I’m Senator Markey, and we’re here to request a meeting with EPA officials,” he said. 

The security personnel did not budge. “You need to step outside,” one said, ignoring his request. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), who stood next to Markey, looked frustrated. 

But they pressed on and asked to speak with the EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin or any available agency representative. They were told, again, to leave the lobby. “We’re waiting for someone to come down and speak with you,” a security officer finally said. By that time, the legislators had already been led out, and stood just outside the agency’s entryway.

“We are here to request a meeting with any and all EPA officials inside,” Tonko repeated. “And in the absence of that, we want a meeting with Administrator Lee Zeldin to discuss what is happening with the EPA programs. The American people deserve to know whether their clean air, clean water and clean land are in jeopardy.”

Despite the rainy weather, the members of Congress and a few dozen environmental advocates assembled outside the agency’s Washington headquarters on Thursday to see for themselves if Elon Musk and his team from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency were inside the agency offices and inquire what they were up to. The billionaire campaign donor and Trump ally, they said, was undermining critical environmental protections in favor of corporate interests.

They also accused newly appointed EPA leaders of defying federal court orders by halting environmental programs and failing to enforce protections mandated by law.

“In a place like Phoenix, Arizona, where we have extreme heat, where hundreds of people die each year from heat exposure, and where air pollution is among the worst in the country, gutting the EPA is unacceptable,” Ansari said. “People’s lives literally depend on it.” Although multiple judges have issued restraining orders blocking Trump’s federal funding freeze, leaders in multiple states have reported being locked out of the payment system. Some former agency officials are concerned about its impact on the projects underway. 

Markey said that if the EPA was in violation of federal statutes and court orders, the public deserved to know. “Fifty-five years ago, the American people demanded action against polluters—that is the heart and soul of the EPA,” he said. “We need to make sure their mission remains intact and that they are following the law.” 

The legislators, who later assembled behind a podium outside the agency’s headquarters to address the press and environmental advocates, repeatedly targeted Musk in their comments, calling him an “unelected billionaire” with unchecked influence, out to orchestrate a hostile restructuring of the EPA and other federal agencies. Markey linked the reported rollback of environmental programs to a broader conservative strategy aimed at funneling federal funds into tax breaks for the wealthy.

“Musk has made it clear—he’s putting the United States in a wood chipper, and now he’s coming for the EPA,” Markey declared. “They’re bragging about taking money from Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and the Green New Deal to fund tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires.” 

The legislators also cited reports that EPA employees were warned about potential job losses and possible removal from their positions. On Thursday, more than 150 employees who worked on environmental justice initiatives at the agency were placed on administrative leave.

“EPA is working to diligently implement President Trump’s executive orders, including the ‘Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,’ as well as subsequent associated implementation memos,” an EPA spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to do just this. Career staff made determinations on which Office of Environmental Justice employees had statutory duties or core mission functions. As such, 168 staffers were placed on administrative leave as their function did not relate to the agency’s statutory duties or grant work. EPA is in the process of evaluating new structure and organization to ensure we are meeting our mission of protecting human health and the environment for all Americans.”

Outside agency headquarters, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said that EPA staffers were told that morning that they could be escorted out of the building later in the day. “We’re here to ensure that does not happen, and to provide oversight to protect both federal workers and the environment.”

When asked what actions they could take if the agency continues to defy oversight, lawmakers said it was important to rally the public to stop the unlawful gutting of environmental protections.

“Congress is a stimulus-response institution,” Markey explained. “There is nothing more stimulating than millions of Americans waking up to find out their health care and environment are being gutted for tax breaks. Our job is to sound the alarm so the public can push back.”

Matthew Tejada, an 11-year veteran of the EPA who until recently was the agency’s deputy assistant administrator for environmental justice, described working the phones over the past day to try to put a stop to the plan to disband his former office.

“I’ve talked to more strangers in the last 24 hours than I have in a long time trying to explain what the hell their job is,” said Tejada, who is now a senior vice president at the Natural Resources Defense Council. He described an atmosphere of fear among his former staff.

“They are scared to do their jobs,” Tejada said. “They are scared to pick up the phone. There are people across the country right now in communities that desperately need help, communities that have burned in California, communities that are still struggling with the floods in western North Carolina, communities that are sinking in coastal Virginia right now, and nobody can pick up the phone because they are scared of their own administration.”

The lawmakers vowed to continue their oversight efforts, including congressional investigations and potential legal action. They acknowledged the challenges of holding the agency accountable under the current administration.

“The whole system is fundamentally not working,” Ansari said. “Right now, they are ignoring the courts, ignoring federal oversight, and rewriting the Constitution to serve their billionaire backers.”

She warned that the fight over the EPA was just one piece of a broader Republican effort to dismantle government services.

“It is easy to cut what you do not care about,” Ansari said. “Elon Musk and Donald Trump do not care about the American people. They care about their billionaire agenda, which exploits workers and fuels environmental injustice.”

The legislators reaffirmed their commitment to opposing the Trump administration’s nominees and policies they believe threaten environmental protections.

“We have to fight for our future,” Markey said. “From the halls of Congress to the streets of America, from courtrooms to factory floors, we must stand up for clean air, clean water, and a livable planet. That is why we are here.”

Story courtesy of Inside Climate News.