Six former Environmental Protection Agency employees are challenging their dismissals after signing a dissent letter critical of President Donald Trump’s environmental policies, escalating a dispute over federal workplace rules and the boundaries of political expression within government agencies.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a watchdog group representing current and former government workers, said the six employees filed claims with the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The filings follow their terminations earlier this year after they added their names to a June letter titled "Declaration of Dissent," which circulated among agency professionals.
The letter included dozens of signatures, including some listed anonymously, and argued that Trump administration policies "undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment."
The agency dismissed the workers soon after the letter’s publication.
In its public explanation, the EPA said it maintains a "zero-tolerance policy for career officials using their agency position and title to unlawfully undermine, sabotage, and undercut the will of the American public."
Agency officials pointed to federal ethics rules that restrict employees from leveraging their official roles in political disputes.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which supports the appeals, said the dismissals violated the workers’ First Amendment rights.
The group said the claims assert that the firings were retaliation for perceived political affiliation, that the discipline was excessive, and that the employees were removed without sufficient cause.
According to PEER, the terminations targeted staff members working across several divisions, including biological research, hazardous waste cleanups, environmental epidemiology, education programs, and legal cases involving polluted waterways and toxic waste remediation.
In a written statement, Joanna Citron Day, PEER’s general counsel, said the administration crossed legal boundaries.
"Federal employees have the right to speak out on matters of public concern in their personal capacities, even when they do so in dissent," Day said.
"EPA is not only undermining the First Amendment’s free speech protections by trying to silence its own workforce, it is also placing U.S. citizens in peril by removing experienced employees who are tasked with carrying out EPA’s critical mission," she said.
The case highlights a recurring point of tension between political leaders and career civil servants.
The Hatch Act limits partisan activity by government employees, but legal experts note that the Merit Systems Protection Board typically examines whether agencies applied penalties proportionally and followed required procedures.
Comparable workplace retaliation disputes have emerged in other agencies in recent years, including disputes reported by the Office of Special Counsel, which has authority to investigate prohibited personnel practices.
Similarly, in 2020, the OSC announced a settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration for alleged retaliation against a whistleblower who left his position to avoid harassment.
The employee had disclosed that certain flight safety inspectors lacked required training and certification, issues tied to public safety. After the disclosure, the worker alleged retaliation.
The OSC’s involvement resulted in reinstatement of his duties and $90,000 in compensatory damages.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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