SEEC Denied Entry at EPA to Stop Illegal Funding Freeze
Washington, D.C. – Today, members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chair Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Members Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), and Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), were denied entry at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to speak out against the Trump Administration’s illegal and cruel power grab of American taxpayer money that will increase costs for our families, hurt our businesses and communities, and pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink.
“We knew the Trump Administration would come into office and work to undermine rules that limit emissions from power plants, vehicles, and factories that pollute our air; that keep dangerous chemicals out of products we rely upon; and that protect us from exposure to lead and many other contaminants in our drinking water,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “But now we’re seeing Trump and Musk go far beyond those rollbacks— attacking the agency’s workforce and illegally withholding funds— funds that our states and local governments rely upon to remove lead pipes in our water systems, clean up brownfields, and deploy new solar projects. Today, we are making it clear that we will not tolerate these attacks on EPA.”
“In Phoenix last year, we saw 143 days above 100-degree temperatures. Hundreds of people die on our streets every summer as a result of extreme heat. We also have some of the worst air pollution in the country that we’re working to combat,” said Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari. “These attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency cannot stand.”
“Gutting the EPA is an effort to undermine bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. These laws protect against pollution that causes cancer, asthma attacks, lung disease, and other illnesses,” said Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. “Simply put, the Trump administration, led by unelected billionaire Elon Musk, is trying to fire the people who ensure our air is safe to breath and our water is safe to drink. The public did not sign up for this and does not support it.”
“For over 50 years, the EPA has been our shield—protecting our waters, keeping our air clean, and safeguarding public health,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “In just over two weeks, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have taken a wrecking ball to that progress. Trump and Musk are rolling out the red carpet for the worst corporate polluters—handing massive giveaways to their billionaire donors so they can drill and destroy millions of acres of our pristine lands and waters. I have news for Trump and Musk: the climate crisis is real. It’s taking lives, destroying communities, and costing taxpayers billions.”
“Nobody elected Elon Musk or his teenage hackers who are inside of these buildings stealing our data, trying to fire our federal employees, and taking down federally funded science,” said Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury. “They have infiltrated our government as unelected, unvetted, and unqualified billionaires in their club, defying our democracy, breaking the law, and trying to scare the hell out of the American people.”
Background
Since the Trump Administration came into office, SEEC has been highlighting the direct impacts of the Administration’s policies on people and communities across America. Yesterday, SEEC sent a letter to President Trump that listed real stories Americans have been sharing as a result of the Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze, particularly emphasizing federal programs designed to deliver cost-savings to American families and businesses, a healthy future for our children, and critical financial assistance to disaster-impacted communities.
The letter can be found here.