Ranking Members Foushee and Amo Lead 116 Members Condemning EPA for Putting Polluters Over People and Gutting Research

WASHINGTON, DC (March 13, 2026) - Yesterday, House Science, Space, and Technology Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Ranking Member Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Gabe Amo (D-RI) led a group of 116 Members of Congress in denouncing the Trump Administration's decision to close the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), which provided the scientific foundations for fighting climate change and holding polluters accountable.

The Members write in a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin:

"For decades, ORD research has served as the scientific backbone for lifesaving EPA actions. Its research has armed our nation with the facts needed to confront toxic mercury, dangerous air pollutants, and contaminated water.

The EPA's mission is clear: protect human health and safeguard our environment. It is not to shield corporate polluters from accountability or trade children's lungs for quarterly earnings.

Divorcing EPA actions from unbiased science will exacerbate climate change and increase its already sky-high cost to taxpayers.

American families will ultimately pay the price in hospital visits, in lost wages, and in rebuilding after floods and fires, while polluters reap the profits.

Eliminating ORD is part of your crusade to gut the EPA and allow big business to pollute with impunity as our constituents get sicker.

In the name of science, in the name of public health, and in the name of every American family who deserves clean air and clean water, we urge you to immediately reopen ORD and return the resources you reallocated."

The full letter can be found here.

The letter was signed by Representatives Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Nanette Barragan (CA-44), Ami Bera (CA-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Andre Carson (IN-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Emmanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Herb Conaway (NJ-03), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Danny Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Bill Foster (IL-11), Laura Friedman (CA-30), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry "Hank" Johnson (GA-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Bill Keating (MA-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John Larson (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Mike Levin (CA-49), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John Mannion (NY-22), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Robert "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Darren Soto (FL-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).

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