EPA advisor resigns in protest of President Trump’s budget cuts

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Mustafa Ali, a senior advisor and assistant associate administrator for environmental justice, had been with the Environmental Protection Agency for about two decades before he quit in opposition to budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump.

“My values and priorities seem to be different than our current leadership and because of that I feel that it’s best if I take my talents elsewhere,” Ali told InsideClimate News, claiming that the current administration had shown no interest in helping vulnerable communities, which he had served in his job.

On Wednesday, Ali submitted his resignation letter to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt. In the letter, he also begged Pruitt to reconsider the budget cuts that would see 25 percent of the agency budget being slashed.

“When I hear we are considering making cuts to grant programs like the EJ small grants or Collaborative Problem Solving programs, which have assisted over 1,400 communities, I wonder if our new leadership has had the opportunity to converse with those who need our help the most,” Ali wrote.

“We’ve had both (Republican and Democratic administrations) over time and none of them tried to do anything to destroy what the previous administration had done,” Ali said on Thursday, noting that he was not sure his post would be filled after his departure.

“Folks are just hoping that this one will wake up and see value in continuing this important work.”