13. Environmental Protection Agency · Major
Cut EPA costs, FTEs, and duplicative programs via a tiered-down budget
Printed page 422 13. Environmental Protection Agency
“Budget Review. Develop a tiered-down approach to cut costs, reduce the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, and eliminate duplicative programs.”
What has happened
- Partially done
Congress enacted FY2026 Interior-Environment appropriations (Public Law 119-74). EPA's budget page records FY2026 enacted at $8.82 billion and 12,312 FTE against FY2025's $9.14 billion and 14,130 FTE — a modest dollar cut and a 13 percent FTE cut, far short of the 54 percent requested.
- Partially done
EPA announced its reduction in force and reorganization, projecting a workforce of 12,448 (from 16,155 in January 2025) and $748.8 million in savings — the FTE half of the ask carried out administratively before any appropriation.
- Attempted
The FY2026 President's Budget asked Congress for $4.16 billion for EPA, a 54 percent cut from FY2025 enacted, with 12,856 FTE (down 1,274) and elimination of programs it called redundant (DERA grants, the radon program and others).
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- The Congressional Justification is dated only “June 2025”; the event is dated 2025-06-01 and flagged. The budget page is live and its figures may drift.
- Which “duplicative programs” were actually eliminated in P.L. 119-74 was not read (the law’s text is long); the FY2026 enacted totals are from EPA’s own page.
- Action
- eliminate
- Object
- EPA budget, FTE positions, and duplicative programs
- ID
- 1058