The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented new guidance requiring that any spending items exceeding $50,000 must receive approval from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, AP News reports.
This directive, issued earlier this week, expands DOGE’s role in EPA operations. According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the guidance states, "Any assistance agreement, contract or interagency agreement transaction (valued at) $50,000 or greater must receive approval from an EPA DOGE team member."
To facilitate this review process, EPA staff have been instructed to submit a one-page justification for each funding action between 3 and 6 p.m. Eastern time daily, in addition to completing other necessary forms.
President Donald Trump has tasked DOGE with identifying what he and Musk describe as waste, fraud, and abuse. Speaking on Thursday, Trump indicated that Cabinet members and agency leaders would spearhead spending and staffing reductions, though Musk might impose further cuts if necessary.
“If they can cut, it’s better,” Trump said of agency leaders. “And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”
The EPA did not provide a response when asked for comment on Friday.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, criticized the directive, calling it “troubling” due to the potential for bureaucratic delays affecting routine contracts and grant awards.
He noted that essential expenditures, such as grants for air and water quality monitoring, laboratory equipment purchases, hazardous waste disposal, and municipal recycling programs, could be impacted.
Whitehouse, a vocal critic of both Musk and Trump, raised concerns about the influence of Musk’s team, stating, “The involvement of Musk’s ‘unvetted, inexperienced team raises serious concerns about improper external influence on specialized agency decision-making.’”
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Friday, Whitehouse argued that spending actions over $50,000 require expertise in environmental science, policy, and regulations. “Allowing unskilled, self-proclaimed ‘experts,’ not vetted for conflicts of interest, to have veto power over funding determinations is inappropriate and risks compromising the agency’s mission to protect public health and the environment,” he wrote.
An EPA directive explains that the new guidance aligns with executive orders issued by Trump, aimed at reducing federal spending.
Whitehouse, however, challenged the legality of these orders, stating, “It is already established by court order that it is Congress that authorizes and appropriates funds for specific purposes, not the Office of Management and Budget or the president via executive order or DOGE.”
This dispute over spending guidelines coincides with Zeldin’s commitment to significant budget reductions, with proposed cuts reaching up to 65%.
“We don’t need to be spending all that money that went through the EPA last year,” Zeldin said last week. “We don’t want it. We don’t need it. The American public needs it and we need to balance the budget.”
President Joe Biden had requested a budget increase for the EPA, proposing approximately $10.9 billion for the agency—an 8.5% rise from the previous year. However, Zeldin has argued that the agency requires far less funding to operate effectively. He has also criticized grants allocated under the 2022 climate law, particularly the $20 billion designated for a “green bank” to support climate and clean-energy initiatives.
Zeldin has pledged to terminate contracts linked to this emerging green bank program, which aims to fund thousands of climate-related and environmental justice projects.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stated last week that Trump, DOGE, and Zeldin are all “committed to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.”
However, a 65% budget reduction would have severe consequences for the EPA, warned Marie Owens Powell, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238. She emphasized that key functions such as air and water quality monitoring, disaster response, and lead abatement could be jeopardized by these cuts.
