EPA, DOE Workers Post-Trump Election: ‘Employees Were in Tears,’ ‘Downright Panic’
People who work at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy are having a hard time coping with the election of Donald Trump as president, with many reporting depression and some being advised to take sick leave, according to an article published Friday by Environment and Energy Publishing (E&E).
“U.S. EPA employees were in tears,” the article stated. “Worried Energy Department staffers were offered counseling.
“Some federal employees were so depressed, they took time off,” it stated. “Others might retire early.
“And some employees are in downright panic mode in the aftermath of Donald Trump's victory,” the article said.
John O’Grady, union boss for EPA workers, said people are “upset.”
"People are upset,” said O’Grady, who works in an EPA office in Chicago. “Some people took the day off because they were depressed.”
“The president-elect has vowed to repeal some of the rules they've toiled on for the last eight years during the Obama administration, including the Clean Power Plan rule to cut power plants' greenhouse gas emissions,” the article said.
“Trump has even suggested abolishing the agency entirely, although that would be an uphill political climb,” the article said, adding that the man Trump has picked to head the EPA transition, Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is a “climate change skeptic.”
"If you look at the seven stages of grief, I'm still in denial,” an unnamed career EPA employee said. “I will not look at the news. I will not read the news.”
Another EPA staffer said, "I don't actually know anybody here that was supporting Trump."
“There's been speculation that many of Trump's critics in the federal workforce might opt to leave or retire early,” the article said, but added that this won’t be the first time that people in these agencies have worked under a Republican president.
"We have been through Reagan, got through [George W. Bush],” an unnamed career EPA employee said. “We will get through this.”
“U.S. EPA employees were in tears,” the article stated. “Worried Energy Department staffers were offered counseling.
“Some federal employees were so depressed, they took time off,” it stated. “Others might retire early.
“And some employees are in downright panic mode in the aftermath of Donald Trump's victory,” the article said.
John O’Grady, union boss for EPA workers, said people are “upset.”
"People are upset,” said O’Grady, who works in an EPA office in Chicago. “Some people took the day off because they were depressed.”
“The president-elect has vowed to repeal some of the rules they've toiled on for the last eight years during the Obama administration, including the Clean Power Plan rule to cut power plants' greenhouse gas emissions,” the article said.
“Trump has even suggested abolishing the agency entirely, although that would be an uphill political climb,” the article said, adding that the man Trump has picked to head the EPA transition, Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is a “climate change skeptic.”
"If you look at the seven stages of grief, I'm still in denial,” an unnamed career EPA employee said. “I will not look at the news. I will not read the news.”
Another EPA staffer said, "I don't actually know anybody here that was supporting Trump."
“There's been speculation that many of Trump's critics in the federal workforce might opt to leave or retire early,” the article said, but added that this won’t be the first time that people in these agencies have worked under a Republican president.
"We have been through Reagan, got through [George W. Bush],” an unnamed career EPA employee said. “We will get through this.”
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