How the Trump Administration Ended Independent Science at the E.P.A. This is just a tragedy. An example of the pure evil, the animus that the Trump administration has for Americans. Anything that helps people or makes life better, they kill. Breaks my heart and enrages me, all at once.

And why? They’ll say it’s cost cutting to nibble away at the national debt, but if that were the case we’d see huge cuts in the $1T (!!) DoD budget. Or the immensely bloated DHS budget. But no, those monstrosities get budget increases, while the EPA gets gutted. God forbid that we clean up the air and water, or that we investigate what toxins actually cause what diseases. No, that’s not the party line. Environment doesn’t matter, we need more bombs and more law enforcement.

From the article:

While the Trump administration has rolled back science work across the government, the E.P.A.’s research was a particular target because its findings have often led to tighter air and water regulations, costing industries billions of dollars.

The Office of Research and Development was singled out in Project 2025, the conservative blueprint to shrink the federal government. The chapter on the E.P.A. called for constricting the agency’s “scientific enterprise” and called the scientific office “bloated, unaccountable, closed, outcome-driven, hostile to public and legislative input, and inclined to pursue political rather than purely scientific goals.”

Mandy Gunasekara, who served as the agency’s chief of staff during the first Trump administration and wrote the Project 2025 chapter, said in an interview that researchers in the office were biased against industry and toward environmentalist viewpoints. She said Mr. Zeldin’s changes were merely structural, adding, “I think characterizing this as getting rid of science is very misleading.”

Misleading, huh? When you go from 3500 scientists to 124, I’d say that’s getting rid of science. It’s all about getting rid of constraints on corporations, getting rid of those pesky regulations. Pretty soon we’ll see the Cuyahoga river burning again.

I’m not a single issue voter, but this issue has special meaning for me. Of all the evil shit that Convict Donny’s flying monkeys are inflicting on us, this one hurts the most. Clean air and clean water, controls on toxins that are the by-product of modern industry, understanding how toxins affect human and animal life…these things are important. Crucial. The expertise and institutions being torn down will affect my grandsons and generations beyond. Life for them just got worse, and it makes me irate. These are nihilistic, destructive, ignorant and arrogant actions. But at least it’s consistent – everything Trump touches dies.