“Front row seats to a coup”: Trump and Musk gut NOAA and EPA, raising alarm among scientists

Friday, President Donald Trump Group workers announced In the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the world’s leading centers to study climate science. This announcement was the culmination of Trump’s long campaign against climate science as a field. During the past few months, a salon has spoken with dozens of climate scientists, who have warned that the continuous cleansing of scientific experts will make it difficult for the US government to face an increasing group of environmental threats effectively.

In just a few weeks, the Trump administration has completely raised the scientific community, dismantling comprehensive agencies Usaidthe Ministry of Education and Environmental Protection Agency. At Environmental Protection Agency, Trump Already placed more than 1000 workers In notice that their jobs are in danger and throughout the 2024 campaign, he pledged to the agency completely. The President develops his policies as an economic activist from one part, a war of one part against the so -called “deep state” of bureaucrats who undermine its policies. Workers who spoke to a salon believe that Trump is causing devastating damage to our society’s ability to quickly protect the changing environment.

Thousands of government workers in science -related areas have a reason to believe that they may be separated soon. As a number of government scholars said on the front lines, the losses for both workers and the public interest are great, especially in the era of deadly epidemics, the climate fluctuation and the exacerbation of pollution.

“We are sitting in the seats in the front row of a coup,” said Terry, a scientist whose imbalance, which directly deals with the effects of climate change. (Terry is not the real name of this person; they asked not to disclose his identity to avoid revenge.)

“While Donald Trump is technically our president, we are also dealing with the shadow chief in Elon Musk, who has now installed a dw” assistant in the Environmental Protection Agency, “Terry explained. “So we feel a feeling of dread, and watching agencies like the American Agency for International Development are dismantled and wondering if we were the next.”

Talk to a salon in December About the circumstances during the first period of Trump in his post, the scientist of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dan Costa, recalled that government workers studying the health effects of air pollution “had Polisi” because of the corporate opposition. Terry suggests that the situation has already increased worse after a month of Trump’s second state.

Terry said: “Although the last Trump presidency attacked our work, this time we feel the threat not only the work we do, but simply as federal workers,” Terry said. We have been turned into a general enemy. Every day we wait for the next email manipulation from the employee management office [which Musk now controls] Or from the agency’s heads who verify and enhance their messages. It is an atmosphere of psychological abuse. “

Dr. Kyla Bennett, Director of Science Policy for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, is the professional defender of workers who face this type of abuse exactly. Bennett has previously worked at the Environmental Protection Agency as a coordinator for the enforcement of wetlands in New England and says it was seized in the culture of work among environmental scientists. Through her account, they are angry.

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Bennett said: “Federal agents in federal agencies are first and foremost, angry.” “Unlike Trump’s photography and Mousics of government employees as lazy and low productivity, they are dedicated professionals who joined the government to protect the American people. Some of them are afraid because they are attacking and targeting. But most of them are angry.”

Government workers also say that Trump’s new appointments do not seem to understand the task of the agencies that they now add.

“They remove climate and references data from federal web pages; cancel the American international climate financing plan; start withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreements; withdraw the proposed PFAs liquid borders; weaken the endangered species law; reduce federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Service and American Wildlife Service; and Eliminate Protection “Communities” are already burdened with pollution.

“Our planet’s future? Big,” Bennett concluded. “I don’t think we can return from this full attack on the environment. When Exxonmobil retracts from leaving the Paris Agreement, you know it is bad.”

Terry noticed the effects of this environmentally anti -environment.

“I worked at the Environmental Protection Agency through the first Trump administration, and they left the portal in 2017 with a very ideological cleansing of climate -related information from our websites,” Terry said. “This time, the ideology of the administration has turned into the hatred of marginalized societies, packed in the” Control “speech … We have seen an aggressive attack and whispering on employees through agencies who do fairness and justice. If climate justice is cleaned of our work, societies will suffer.”

This faint view of Trump’s policies and musk is not limited to scientists and government employees. Kristen Todd Whitman is a former director of the Environmental Protection Agency served during the reign of the Republican President, George WW BushAfter two periods, as a Republican ruler of New Jersey. Yumman says that the current environmental protection agency staff “feel frustrated and frustrated.”

Yumman said that the question now is whether the governmental acquisition that was presented by musk will be accepted and left their jobs. “Should they trust that they will be already salaries or risk least?” I asked. “People who gave their career to serve the American people now between a rock and a difficult place because a wealthy man is not elected and uncertain, without a security permit, dismantling the federal government.”

Whitman added that these painful changes come in a dangerous moment. Fossil fuel emissions caused the average global temperatures Access to 1.5 ° C higher than pre -industrial levels For the first time ever. As of 2024, the concentration of carbon dioxide was in the Earth’s atmosphere 424.6 parts per million, Jumping from more than 50 % From the levels before our gender begins to rely on fossil fuels less than three centuries ago.

“Look at the severity of storms, fires and floods – this is not normal and it will get worse,” said Whitman. Society faces an unprecedented struggle as “air and water will be more dusty, people will get sick, and children will get asthma – a major driver on lost school days. This is to leave the World Health Organization, dismantling research at the National Health Institutes of Health, and more people will die.”

“Anyone should be sad.”

Senior scientists share its warning. Dr. Mark Serries, Director of the National Snow and National Ice Data Center, pointed to the recent reports that January 2025 was. January heat on recorded date. Serz said that Trump and his followers are looking at the other direction.

“By failing to address the increasing problem of climate change quickly, we put ourselves at very difficult times in the future,” Sirz said. “The number has just appeared to an average temperature in 2025 in January, which is another high record. Will we wake up? Trump and its places simply look at the short term and did not even realize a mysterious understanding of science. They choose to ignore what is clear.”

Serreze urges citizens who want to make a change in “doing everything you can do to make your voice heard. Our future is at stake.” He repeated his advice by Dina Avila Dixon, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Group.

“People have the power to fight against Trump’s harmful policies by clarifying this how popular their depth is,” said Avila Dixon. “It is very important to reveal how his actions harm ordinary people and the effect of dismantling environmental protection or the basic services that you will get their daily lives. These cuts are not related to returning money in the hands of working families; they revolve around the lining of billionaire pockets at our expense.”

“The workers are the most powerful voices in this battle because they can speak to the real cost of the Trump’s business schedule,” added Avila-Dixon.

Whitman said that the citizens concerned must “go to your elected representatives and do not let them escape from his ignorance. Tell your representatives that you care, and that your vote will be important and that you will monitor the safety of your children and your grandchildren. Officials who may behave should know that they will not be alone if they stand up to this nonsense.”

“Environmental Protection Agency workers are vital to protecting our resources from air and water, cleaning after hurricanes and forest fires and working to build flexibility against the upcoming disasters caused by the climate,” Terry said. “We protect you, and we need all hands on the deck to protect us.”