CLEANING UP

Trump Taps MAGA Loyalist With Dismal Environmental Rating to Lead EPA

The former president assured the public his pick would slash red tape while maintaining clean air and water.

Donald Trump has chosen former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to head the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the New York Post. “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,” Trump wrote in a Monday press release announcing the decision. Zeldin, a four-term Long Island congressman who lost the 2022 New York gubernatorial race to Democrat Kathy Hochul, said he would be honored to take on the position. “As EPA Administrator, we will restore American energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, make the United States the global leader of Artificial Intelligence advancement, and slash the red tape holding back American workers from upward economic mobility,” Zeldin told the Post. The former congressman does have some experience with environmental issues, having served in several related caucuses and fought against dumping waste in Long Island Sound. But Zeldin has a dismal rating with the League of Conservation Voters, which gave him a 14% lifetime score on environmental matters.