On Tuesday, Donald Trump ordered that employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) no longer share information via social media, press releases, or new website content. Additionally, all EPA grants and contracts have been frozen indefinitely, cutting off funding for everything from the cleanup of toxic sites to the testing of air quality.
But based on a leaked memo from inside the Trump team, the worst is yet come to come for the EPA and the environment. It details how Trump intends to drastically slash the agency budget, “terminating climate programs,” ending all fuel-economy standards for automobiles, and carrying what are called:
“Major reforms of the agency’s use of science and economics.”
As if that isn’t sobering (not to mention terrifying) enough, the Trump administration also has blueprints to install a completely new team of leadership at EPA which would fundamentally shift the direction of the agency. That “team” includes three former researchers from Koch-funded think tanks, a former mining lobbyist, and several individuals people who have argued against any action on climate change.
But wait, there’s even more: Sources also tell Vox that Trump will soon sign executive orders that would weaken pollution rules and cut agency budgets that have any overview of matters related to environmental safety or health.
These moves, along with other executive orders and the people Trump has nominated to serve in his cabinet, prove the real intent of this megalomaniacal chief of state: To destroy the most fundamental operations of the federal government when it comes to protecting Americans in their homes or workplaces. Predatory capitalist that he is, Trump couldn’t care less what happens to individuals as long as big corporations make a profit.
By the time Trump leaves office, we could well be living in country with toxic waste sites on every block. That is if the increase in temperature doesn’t burn our food sources (and eventually us) to a cinder first.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org