House lawmakers tangled Thursday over the Trump administration’s vast reorganization of the EPA, with Democrats charging that a new science office puts a “muzzle on scientists.”
The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing to review how EPA’s scientific enterprise has fared so far during the Trump administration. Under the microscope was the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, which was created last year as the agency dissolved its prized and larger research program.
“EPA must avoid stretching scientific capacity too thin,” Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), chair of the subcommittee, said in his opening remarks. “Sustaining scientific excellence requires adequate staffing, reliable resources, and continued investment in workforce development.”
The hearing’s sole witness was Maureen Gwinn, the deputy associate administrator for science in OASES. Democrats thanked Gwinn, a longtime career official at EPA, for her service but blasted the agency for not having someone in political leadership testify.
