US public health groups urge firing of EPA boss Zeldin, saying he 'brazenly betrayed' agency

A coalition of more than 160 environmental and public health organizations issued a formal call Tuesday demanding the resignation or termination of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The organizations delivered their message through a strongly-worded open letter, stating: "No EPA administrator in history – Democratic or Republican – has so brazenly betrayed the agency's core mission. EPA's foremost purpose is to protect human health and the environment. With Administrator Lee Zeldin at the helm, EPA has abandoned its mission, creating damage that will take decades to address."

The criticism centers on the agency's systematic rollback of environmental regulations under Zeldin's leadership. These regulatory changes have affected protections designed to address climate change, maintain air and water quality standards, and safeguard public health.

The letter continues its critique: "He slashed vital funding, gutted agency staff, and has rigged the system to put corporate polluters first, at the expense of our health."

The EPA has not yet responded to The Guardian's request for comment.

The Climate Action Campaign and Moms Clean Air Force spearheaded the initiative, securing signatures from 163 local and national organizations. Notable signatories include Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, GreenRoots, GreenLatinos, and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, emphasized the organizations' position: "The public deserves an EPA administrator who will face the challenge of the climate crisis and fossil fuel and toxic pollution head-on with proven policy solutions, not actively serve as an agent of destruction beholden to the whims of oil, gas, and chemical industry executives and an authoritarian, anti-science US president."

This action follows a January petition from leaders within the Robert F Kennedy Jr-led Make America Healthy Again movement, which also called for Zeldin's removal due to environmental policy reversals. Since then, Zeldin has reportedly engaged with the movement, attending related events and stating the EPA would implement a "Maha agenda." Democratic and progressive legislators have consistently criticized his administrative approach.

Internal criticism has also emerged from EPA personnel. Current and former staff members signed the EPA "Declaration of Dissent" in June, expressing concerns about Zeldin's treatment of the agency's scientific programs and workforce. Some employees faced suspension or termination for signing the document, though agency officials later determined their actions did not constitute ethics violations, according to E&E News reporting this month.

EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch addressed the internal dissent, telling the publication: "The agency has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the administration's agenda as voted for by the great people of this country."

The Trump administration maintains its position on regulatory changes, asserting that environmental protection and industrial growth can coexist effectively.

Zeldin is scheduled to serve as the opening speaker at a climate-focused conference next month in Washington DC, organized by the Heartland Institute. The conservative organization has received funding from corporations including ExxonMobil and Republican donors, and disputes the scientific consensus regarding the urgency and human causation of climate change.