Safety is top of mind for the American people right now. And how could it not be?

Between ICE’s murder of a civilian in Minneapolis, Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional takeover of Venezuela, and our federal government’s relentless commitment to putting fossil fuels first, it’s clear that the people in charge are more than willing to sacrifice our health and safety if it means maximizing profits for the fossil fuel industry.

That was made especially clear this past week, when leaked emails and documents from the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency revealed that we can expect more deregulation and staffing cuts in the near future.

Let’s start with what’s happening at the EPA.

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that the EPA will no longer consider lives saved when establishing regulations for ozone and PM 2.5.

That’s about as bad as it sounds.

The EPA has long assigned monetary values to public health benefits and incorporated them into cost-benefit analyses used to shape final regulations. These values have changed over the years but have never been zero—and now that they are, cost to industry will become the primary consideration when establishing regulations.

This isn’t just a departure from decades of precedent, or a massive change that paves the way for sweeping deregulation. It’s proof that Trump’s EPA is willing to risk irreversible damage to our climate, jeopardize the health of communities living near industrial facilities, and literally devalue human life if doing so helps the fossil fuel industry increase its profit margins.

And while one agency is trying to lock us into more climate heating, another department is destroying our ability to deal with the associated impacts.

After firing dozens of disaster response and recovery staff earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering a 50% reduction in force at FEMA. This would bring the agency down to around 11,000 employees, severely compromising its ability to fulfill its stated mission: helping people before, during, and after disasters.

And the disasters in question aren’t going anywhere.

The Los Angeles wildfires, Texas flash floods, and blistering heat waves that plagued the East Coast all occurred last year, and extreme weather events are only becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. Now is when we should ensure FEMA is fully equipped with the resources they need to support states and localities—not by taking a sledgehammer to their staff and operations.

As it stands, the powers that be are actively choosing to compromise our safety—and for every rule, rollback, and profit-motivated policy decision, it will be the American people who pay the price. All we can do is continue to challenge them every step of the way.

And remember—we’re not alone in this fight. There are so many more of us advocating for change than those working to destroy our progress. It’s up to all of us to keep speaking up and calling out these injustices as we continue to build momentum for November, when we can truly make our voices heard.

Join us!