While the novel coronavirus has raged across the United States, infecting more than 1 million Americans, the Trump administration has failed catastrophically in their efforts to protect the public. One of these myriad failures has come in the form of continued rollbacks of critical protections for clean air across the country.
In the last month alone, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), headed by former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, has undone, failed to strengthen, or otherwise weakened four separate safeguards against air pollution. This is despite the fact that emerging research shows that populations living in areas with high air pollution—which, thanks to decades of environmental racism, predominantly include low-income communities, Native communities, and communities of color—may have a statistically higher mortality rate if infected with COVID-19.
The Trump administration is failing Americans in a time of great need. Tens of thousands of people across the country have already died. Instead of stepping up and taking necessary actions such as ramping up testing, producing or acquiring additional personal protective equipment for health workers, or even effectively communicating and coordinating across federal agencies, the Trump administration is using its limited energy and resources to roll back critical public health and environmental protections. This is an obscene abdication of responsibility during a crisis and further exposes this administration’s efforts to put polluters before the needs of the American people. Continue reading.