Story highlights Mustafa Ali was the assistant associate administrator for environmental justice

Underserved communities are struggling to receive equal protections before the law, he wrote

(CNN) An Environmental Protection Agency veteran resigned after more than 20 years at the department amid concerns about the Trump administration's approach to addressing environmental issues impacting underserved communities.

"I have priorities in supporting vulnerable communities," Mustafa Ali told CNN. "I thought first I'd be patient and see what the administration would focus on, but I have not seen or heard any indication the administration plans to work with vulnerable communities as it relates to environmental protection."

Ali was the assistant associate administrator for environmental justice at the EPA until Wednesday, when he resigned after 24 years with the agency.

Last week, a source revealed to CNN a list of programs potentially affected by a Trump administration proposal that could slash the agency's budget by 24% and reduce its staffing by 20%. Some of the EPA's most longstanding and best-known programs are facing potential elimination, including initiatives aimed at improving water and air quality as well as a number of regulations tasked with reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

Along with the Environmental Justice program, programs up for elimination include multi-purpose grants to states and tribes, Energy Star grants, Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowships, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act and initiatives aimed at environmental protections along the US-Mexico border.

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