House lawmakers tangled Thursday over the Trump administration’s huge reorganization of the EPA, with Democrats charging {that a} new science office places a “muzzle on scientists.”
The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing to evaluation how EPA’s scientific enterprise has fared up to now through the Trump administration. Under the microscope was the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, which was created final yr because the company dissolved its prized and bigger analysis program.
“EPA must avoid stretching scientific capacity too thin,” Rep. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), chair of the subcommittee, stated 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 affiliate administrator for science in OASES. Democrats thanked Gwinn, a longtime profession official at EPA, for her service however blasted the company for not having somebody in political management testify.