The Environmental Protection Agency has received 2,617 applications for the second round of the Deferred Resignation Program, National Review has exclusively learned. The agency is currently reviewing those applications for eligibility, meaning the final second-round deferred resignation program number could end up being closer to the 2,000 range.

The second round deadline for the EPA’s deferred resignation program comes after the agency announced a major restructuring of its various departments and bureaus earlier this month. In recent weeks, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has slashed DEI and “environmental justice” initiatives at the agency while pledging to return employee staff levels to numbers seen during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.