Why does the Environmental Protection Agency need arms and ammunition?
The simple answer is, it doesn't. Yet a new Open the Books report finds that the EPA spent $618,602 on items categorized as “Small Arms” or “Small Arms Ammunition" from 2018 to 2022.
Today the EPA employs about 137 special agents with arrest and firearm authority. The EPA established a law enforcement arm in 1982 responsible for bringing 'environmental criminals' to justice. The arm, which was allotted $70.7 million in fiscal year 2023, claims to "enforce the nation's laws by investigating cases, collecting evidence, conducting forensic analyses and providing legal guidance to assist with prosecutions."
Think about that. Special agents are trained and prepared to go after Americans who don't follow the government's ever-changing climate standards, which continue to diminish personal sovereignty. What happened to the separation of powers?
The oversight report reveals that the "EPA’s regulatory mandate and budget are both expanding considerably" as the agency is tasked to implement more regulations combatting climate change, the overarching agenda of the executive branch. Since Biden took office, over $100 billion in federal funds have been allocated to the EPA to spend in new grants.
In 2021, the EPA underwent a hiring spree, raising its staffing level from 14,700 to over 15,000. However, the agency's 2024 budget proposal requests 17,000 full-time equivalent staff.
While these figures indicate overall growth within the agency, salary information shows just how lofty the taxpayer-funded payroll stands. The average EPA salary in fiscal year 2022 was $124,252, with a total compensation for all 15,043 employees of $1.9 billion.
The EPA influx of funds is difficult to manage, disclosed the General during a congressional hearing on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). “Without adequate resources, not only have we been unable to do any meaningful IRA oversight, but we have also had to cancel or postpone work in important EPA areas, such as chemical safety and pollution cleanup," the General admitted.
"When the number one national security threat is climate change I think that gives you moral license to do a lot of different things. One of those things is to staff up, lawyer up, and arm up," said Open the Books Founder Adam Andrzejewski.
He added that Congress is throwing so much money at the EPA that they don't even have projects to spend it on.
SEE ALSO: The countdown is on! A dive into next week’s Simulated Article V Convention
The EPA's silent accumulation of power should be alarming to every American. Convention of States supporters recognize the usurpation of power from every federal agency and we're ready to put an end to it.
As recently reported, most federal agency headquarters are under 25% capacity, or in other words, 75% empty. Article V of the Constitution gives the states an opportunity to empty out the corruption that runs deep in D.C., even as federal offices remain unoccupied.
An agency authorized to protect the environment has no business purchasing military-style equipment for special agents – with arrest authority. If you agree with this sentiment, we encourage you to sign the Convention of States petition below.
