Republicans threaten federal agency with probe over 'ecogrief' classes
Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the purpose of the classes and why the use of taxpayer dollars for the venture is 'unacceptable.'
Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are threatening to launch a probe into U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for a taxpayer-funded "ecogrief" training offered to employees struggling to cope with trauma or stress related to the environment.
Committee Chairman Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., called for the agency to quit "whining" and "wasting taxpayer dollars," Thursday, on "Fox & Friends First."
"There are some good folks, some patriotic, hardworking Americans that work for the federal government… but this is just unacceptable," Westerman said. "We can't be funding this when we've got budget problems… and the endangered species list is like Hotel California, you go on and you never go off. These people need to be out getting to work, addressing the problems that are causing them grief and trying to change something instead of whining about it."
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A notice sent to employees in the agency's Southwest region offers a four-hour workshop to staffers "experiencing ecological grief and for those who wish to support them" with a goal to "normalize the wide range of emotional responses that conservationists experience while empowering participants to act while taking care of themselves."
Westerman called for "vigorous oversight" the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the agency, and the Biden administration's "woke" government agenda causing Americans their own "economic grief."
"This kind of woke action is rampant throughout the administration," he said.
"The real tool that Congress has is the power of the purse. And if they can't quit wasting taxpayer dollars, then we need to restrict how many taxpayer dollars they get."
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Westerman and other lawmakers sent a letter to USFWS Director Martha Williams, Tuesday, threatening a full investigation if the agency does not cancel the course.
"We are deeply concerned that this kind of meaningless pandering is a colossal waste of taxpayer funding, does nothing to further the purpose of the USFWS and diverts important resources away from critical agency functions," the letter read.
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