A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency union leader said in a statement issued Wednesday that she condemns President Trump’s threat to conduct mass layoffs of federal EPA employees in the Great Lakes region during the government shutdown.

“The scientists and engineers who dedicated their lives to protecting public health should not be treated as bargaining chips in Trump’s political crusade against his enemies,” said Nicole Cantello, a federal EPA lawyer who serves as president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704.

“The global climate crisis and extreme weather events are not going away. EPA’s professional workforce is critical to solving the most pressing and existential problems facing the American public,” Ms. Cantello said.

Trump has stated publicly that the

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