The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to eliminate over 2,000 positions at the Department of the Interior, targeting employees who work on scientific research, national parks, and environmental protection. According to a recent court filing, these cuts were planned before the current government shutdown began, contradicting President Trump’s claims that layoffs stem from the shutdown itself.

The hardest-hit agencies include the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service regional offices. Many of the eliminated positions focus on critical environmental research, including studies of Great Lakes ecosystems and toxic contamination research at facilities like the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center in Missouri, where scientists study dangerous “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

Meanwhile, EPA employees are receiving new furlough notices as the agency’s funding runs dry during the shutdown. Environmental groups are calling this a deliberate campaign to dismantle environmental protections, with the Center for Western Priorities warning that the cuts would “eviscerate the core science that every American depends on.” The planned reductions would affect research across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes regions.

EPA officials dispute claims that the furloughs are intentionally targeting environmental programs, blaming Democrats for the shutdown. However, critics note the timing is suspicious, especially as Trump has repeatedly characterized environmental protection as “woke” politics. The cuts come as part of what EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called the largest rollback of environmental protections in U.S. history, raising concerns about the future of conservation and public health research.