tidbits left. >> reporter: proposing slashing the budget by almost one-third but congress said no. free market advocate and climate change skeptic led trump's epa transition team. >> on energy and the environment, i think president trump is further ahead in fulfilling his campaign promises than in any other area. >> this is a recipe for killing more people, making more people sick and leaving the tremendous damage that climate change is beginning to cause to just multip multiply. >> reporter: after a year of devastating hurricanes and wildfires, a federal report warns climate change is already costing the u.s. billions of dollars. today climate change has disappeared from the epa's website and last month, three government scientists were barred from presenting climate change research. what happens when science is silenced? >> we lose. big time. and we get set back, too. you don't just flip a switch and start science up again.