President-elect Donald Trump on Monday picked former New York Rep Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 44-year-old will join the Republican's cambinet, which includes Rep Elise Stefanik (ambassador to the United Nations), Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff), Thomas Homan ('Border Czar') and Stephen Miller.
Making the announcement on Truth Social, Trump said: "He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet. He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”
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Zeldin, who represented Long Island from 2015 to 2023, said 'it is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator'.
"We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water," the former congressman added.
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Lee Zeldin Against Environment Protection?
A liberal website called 'Lee Zeldin Record' flags how the 44-year-old frequently voted against legislation protect the environment during his time in Congress. The League of Conservation Voters gave him a 14% grade for his overall scorecard.
The website adds that Lee Zeldin on several occassions voted agains the Clean Air Act, despite the fact that Suffolk County has some of the worst air quality in New York. It said that the EPA voted for greater regulation of PFAS, known as forever chemicals.