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Congressional Democrats are calling for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to reinstate 139 of the agency’s employees, who were recently put on administrative leave after signing a letter dissenting with its latest policies.

On Tuesday, several members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee claimed the action by President Donald Trump’s administration is illegal, since the employees are whistleblowers.

“Taking adverse actions against employees for making a protected disclosure — including investigating them and placing them on administrative leave — in a manner that deters others from coming forward is a textbook violation of the whistleblower Protection Act,” the lawmakers said in a letter sent to Zeldin.

The letter was signed by the ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Frank Pallone, of New Jersey, as well as New York Reps. Paul Tonko and Yvette Clarke.

A group of Democratic lawmakers from Virginia and Maryland also spoke out against the action taken by Zeldin at a news conference on Tuesday.

“Zeldin and his Trump administration colleagues are taking taxpayer money and sabotaging the essential work that this agency does to protect public health,” said Rep. Don Beyer, who represents Virginia’s 8th District.

Beyer was joined by fellow Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, of the 11th District, as well as Maryland Reps. Glenn Ivey, who represents the 4th District, and April McClain Delaney, of the 6th District.

“These 139 (workers) stand up for the safety of the public, for the safety and protection of the environment, for the assistance and help of the American people; and the first thing they do is try to kick them out,” Ivey said. “It’s wrong, it’s retaliatory and we have to do everything we can to turn it around.”

EPA’s ‘zero tolerance’

When the EPA announced the employees were being put on administrative leave last week, it accused them of “unlawfully undermining” the administration’s agenda.

The employees had signed a “declaration of dissent,” arguing that the agency is failing to maintain its mission to protect public health and the environment.

The EPA said in a statement that it has a “zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting” the president’s agenda. But employees were also told it was not a disciplinary action.

The EPA said the employees would be paid during their “temporary, non-duty” status for a period of two weeks, as an administration investigation was carried out.

Under Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA has reduced funding for environmental improvements in minority communities, proposed repealing rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions and undid a ban on a type of asbestos.

During a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Zeldin said the president’s “one big beautiful bill” that was approved by Congress last week delivered a “sledgehammer” to what he called the “green new scam,” which is what administration officials often call various environmental initiatives approved when former President Joe Biden was in office.

Zeldin touted various efforts to reduce spending in the agency.

“This is about us being good stewards of American tax dollars, without any apology or regret,” he said.

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