EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin ran a Capitol Hill gauntlet this week as he defended deep budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump for the agency.
Zeldin appeared at a trio of congressional hearings, dueling with House members and senators over the administration’s plan to reduce EPA’s annual funding to $4.2 billion in fiscal 2027 — or more than half of the agency’s enacted spending.
The administrator, a former Republican lawmaker from New York familiar with many in Congress, also touted his record at EPA of deregulation and reorganization — all in pursuit of Trump’s goals for “energy dominance” and promoting artificial intelligence.
Zeldin achieved a string of viral moments to play up online, which could serve future ambitions after his tenure leading the agency.
