The U.S. Department of Interior intends to fire at least 2,000 employees, including almost every employee at the Columbia Environmental Research Center, according to a recent court filing.
The document detailing some of the Trump administration’s plans was filed Monday after a judge’s order blocked layoffs last week through a temporary restraining order. The court’s order required the government to detail “actual and imminent” reductions in force.
According to the document, at least 80 employees would be terminated from CERC, which is a part of the U.S Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area, the research arm of the Department of Interior. Scientists there have studied ecosystems, animals and toxic chemicals for more than 60 years.
“It is so disappointing, because the work that's done at CERC is extremely important to help the Department of Interior manage their lands and manage the species that they are entrusted to manage,” said Don Tillitt, an environmental toxicologist who worked at the center for 30 years before retiring in 2022.
“It's a premier science agency and laboratory. There are not other laboratories in the country, or really in the world, that can do the type of work that's done at CERC,” he added.
Positions at CERC have been under threat since the Trump administration began its downsizing efforts earlier this year. After some workers were fired and others resigned, sources told KBIA the center still had about 90 employees, meaning the proposed cut would gut almost all of its workforce.
“That's 80 full-time staff that are living and working in Columbia,” said Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe. “They're shopping at local grocery stores. They have families that have homes, and to not have them bringing in a paycheck, I worry — since we're already seeing declining revenues and consumer spending — I worry about what that impact will be on the city.”
KBIA reported that, if CERC closes, there is uncertainty about what would happen to the living assets there, such as the invasive species it studies and the endangered species it is working to repopulate.
“If Ecosystems Mission Area is abolished, those fish go away — they would actually have to be euthanized,” said retiree Robb Jacobson, who worked at CERC for 20 years.
The government is currently blocked from terminating those positions through a judge’s temporary restraining order, according to E&E News. Multiple sources told KBIA that employees have not received letters indicating they were fired.
The lawsuit was filed by various federal employee unions. The restraining order applies to those union workers, as well as non-union workers in their “competitive area.” As part of the legal requirement for a reduction in force, agencies must establish these competitive areas based on location and organization.
According to the federal Office of Personnel Management, “employees compete for retention with other employees only within their competitive areas.”
Workers in 89 competitive areas — 14,212 workers total — are currently protected by the temporary restraining order. The Department of Interior is seeking to terminate 2,050 positions within those competitive areas.
The filing does not reveal the full scope of the department’s intended reductions in force, as it does not include its plans for employees that don’t share a “competitive area” with a union employee.
The court filing indicates more than 330 USGS positions are a part of the planned layoff. Other affected agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, according to E&E News.
“Most people that I know are numb because of the constant barrage of abusive type of behavior from this administration towards not only the folks at CERC, but science in general,” Tillett said, adding he’s spoken to current CERC employees since Monday’s court filing.
The Department of Interior did not respond to KBIA’s specific questions about why it was cutting the positions at CERC or what would become of the center’s assets, instead sending a general statement that was also sent to other news agencies saying officials are “examining efficiencies.”
