Announcing via Truth Social, President Trump has outlined his selection for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in term-2.
President Trump announced his intent to nominate former New York Congressman, Lee Zeldin, to the position.
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Lee Zeldin is an attorney, and his announced nomination caught the DC proletariat off-guard. The announcement is an unusually prominent location in the line-up presentation given the generally obscure nature of the agency. Deregulation appears to be a significant agenda item in the T-2 administration.
Washington DC – […] The selection of Zeldin, a vocal Trump ally in Congress during his first term, was a surprise after Andrew Wheeler, who served as the second EPA chief during Trump’s first term, was widely thought to be the frontrunner for the post.
At EPA, Zeldin will carry out Trump’s energy and environmental agenda, which includes pulling back Biden-era rules on climate and air pollution and potentially rescinding millions of dollars in funding for clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act. And the administration is expected to take a more aggressive stance in challenging California’s autonomy in enforcing environmental standards that are more stringent than those set by the federal government — many of which picked up as models for more than a dozen other blue states.
Trump and his adviser Elon Musk have also included the agency as a target in their calls to radically shrink the government bureaucracy — and potentially move many of the federal jobs out of Washington.
“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump said in a statement. “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.”
On X, Zeldin wrote that his selection to run EPA is an “honor.” (read more)