In a sweeping overhaul of federal environmental policy, the Trump administration has embarked on an unprecedented campaign to dismantle both the scientific and legal infrastructure underpinning U.S. climate action. In back-to-back announcements, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has both shuttered its central scientific research division and proposed repealing the 2009 Endangerment Finding—a foundational determination that enabled the government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Critics are calling it the most consequential environmental rollback in modern American history.

The first blow came with the closure of the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), long considered the agency’s scientific heart. This division has overseen research on a vast range of public health and environmental threats—forever chemicals, wildfire smoke, pesticides, lead contamination, smog, and more. It also funded independent research across the country and played a key role in translating science into policy.

In place of the ORD, the EPA announced the creation of a new "Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions," though it has offered no clear plan for how it will replicate the depth or rigor of the dissolved office.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission,” said Administrator Lee Zeldin. “This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.”

The downsizing includes a 23% workforce reduction—more than 3,500 positions cut—and slashes nearly $750 million from the agency’s budget.

“This is a travesty,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), ranking member of the House Science Committee. “The Trump Administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees whose job it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people.”

The second—and arguably more transformative—move came when Zeldin announced that the EPA would rescind the Endangerment Finding, first issued in 2009 under the Obama administration. The finding concluded that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, giving the EPA the legal authority to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Its repeal would invalidate all federal greenhouse gas standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, including the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate.

“Today we propose the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” Zeldin declared during an event in Indianapolis. “By ending the unlawful regulatory overreach tied to the Endangerment Finding, we will restore consumer choice, reduce costs, and unleash American innovation.”

According to the EPA, the repeal is projected to save $54 billion annually, mostly through the elimination of emissions compliance costs. Supporters claim it will lower prices on vehicles, shipping, and consumer goods.

Environmental groups and climate experts see these two actions—taken in tandem—as part of a broader strategy: erase the science, then eliminate the rules.

“This isn’t just about policy,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. “It’s about erasing the scientific basis for regulating pollution. If the science disappears, the regulations can’t stand.”

Already, the administration has removed the website for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which publishes the legally mandated National Climate Assessment—a key public resource used by lawmakers, city planners, researchers, and educators to understand the effects of climate change. The next assessment, due by 2027, is now in limbo after research teams were disbanded and contracts canceled.

The Fifth National Climate Assessment, released in late 2023, warned that “climate change is already affecting every region of the United States,” highlighting threats ranging from megafires and sea-level rise to extreme heat and worsening air quality. But access to that information has now been restricted.

And this comes amid record-setting environmental crises—from wildfires choking entire regions to deadly heatwaves and algal blooms contaminating drinking water. For scientists and public health advocates, the timing of these rollbacks couldn’t be worse.

Beyond climate science, the EPA has also dismantled two internal equity offices: the Office of Environmental Justice and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. These departments were tasked with addressing disproportionate pollution burdens on low-income and minority communities. Their closure represents another retreat from science-informed policy and a blow to vulnerable populations already facing the brunt of environmental degradation. These departments helped with critical situations, like in Flint.

“This will not only cripple EPA’s ability to do its own research, but also to apply the research of other scientists,” warned Kyla Bennett, science policy director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). “These short-sighted cuts will ultimately affect every American.”

The Trump administration has long prioritized deregulation, with over 100 environmental rules weakened or repealed in its first term alone. But this new phase—eliminating the institutional, scientific, and legal capacities of the EPA—marks a turning point.

Many warn that the U.S. is not just stepping back from climate leadership, but actively dismantling the ability to govern environmental risk at all.

As Zeldin framed it, “Liberation Day from climate imperialism” has arrived. But for many Americans facing the realities of a warming planet, this "liberation" feels more like abandonment.

This Isn’t About Partisan Politics—It’s About Reality

It’s important to understand: this isn’t a story about a “leftist agenda” or political spin. 

These are real, measurable developments happening in real time—federal research offices shuttered, public datasets removed, legal frameworks erased, and regulations undone. The consequences affect everyone, regardless of political affiliation. Whether it’s toxic air, unsafe drinking water, or rising insurance premiums due to extreme weather, environmental degradation does not discriminate.

The debate over how to address climate change can be political—but the facts of climate change, and the deliberate dismantling of the systems built to understand and mitigate it, are not.