In a recent statement, President-elect Donald Trump said he will appoint former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin as the next administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Zeldin mounted an unsuccessful run for New York governor in 2022 after leaving congress. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and previously served as the youngest attorney general in New York’s history, taking the position at age 23.
It remains to be seen what Zeldin’s environmental priorities will be when the Trump administration takes office in January.
In his first term, Trump stressed deregulation and introduced an initial budget plan that called for slashing EPA’s budget by roughly 30 percent. Some Republicans in Congress have also proposed to significantly cut funding for EPA’s Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds in recent years. In July of this year, a House appropriations committee proposed cutting SRF funding by nearly $700 million, while the Senate urged level funding for EPA and the SRFs. It remains unclear whether Republican control of the Senate could clear the way for significant cuts.
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