Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), got into heated exchanges with Senate Democrats on Wednesday over his efforts to save taxpayer dollars at the agency.
Zeldin testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday and clashed with Democrats on the committee over his efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse.
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse argued with Zeldin about cuts to the agency. Whitehouse along with other Democratic senators accused the administrator of lying about cuts constituting waste, fraud, or abuse.
A frustrated Zeldin eventually told the senator that the Trump administration is “not going to waste dollars just because you insist on EPA lighting taxpayer dollars on fire.”
“The American taxpayers, they put President Trump in office because of people like you. They have Republicans in charge of the House and Senate because of people like you, because you don’t care about 99% of this story,” Zeldin said. “You don’t want me to go through the list of all the evidence of waste and abuse. You don’t care about conflicts of interest. You don’t care about unqualified recipients.”
Nothing exposes the hypocrisy of Congressional Dems like @SenWhitehouse more than the cold hard truth about why I terminated their Green Slush Fund Scam and how I have unapologetically implemented a ZERO tolerance policy for ANY waste and abuse. pic.twitter.com/1yQNlWLU7m
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) May 21, 2025
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts repeatedly asked Zeldin to provide a list of “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but interrupted the administrator before he could run through a list of what his staff had found.
“Are you willing to admit here today, Mr. Administrator, that you don’t have any evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse?” Markey asked.
Zeldin repeatedly said he would be “happy to go through the list.” But Zeldin failed to get more than a few words into his list of waste, fraud, and abuse before the Massachusetts Democrat was “reclaiming” time and talking over the administrator.
“You want to declare there’s no evidence, but you don’t want me to go through the list,” Zeldin said.
Markey’s time expired before Zeldin could meaningfully discuss the cuts he has made to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Never anything but malarkey from the mouth of Ed Markey. The American public is DONE with this double talk, dishonest hackery from these Congressional Democrats,” Zeldin posted on X.
Never anything but malarkey from the mouth of Ed Markey.
The American public is DONE with this double talk, dishonest hackery from these Congressional Democrats. pic.twitter.com/sdo0gh8c4K
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) May 21, 2025
In a back-and-forth with California Sen. Adam Schiff, Zeldin took issue with the senator’s characterization of his leadership at the EPA and called Schiff “an aspiring fiction writer.”
“With that wind-up, by the way, I understand you’re an aspiring fiction writer. I see why,” said Zeldin.
Schiff responded: “Well, I understand your view that you can cut half of the agency and it won’t affect people’s health or their water or their air. That, to me, is a big fiction, Mr. Zeldin.”
Schiff’s time expired as he continued to lecture Zeldin. The agency administrator shot back at Schiff later on X: “Aspiring fiction writer @SenAdamSchiff got sad today that I called out a bunch more of his lies. The next time he says something truthful will be the first.”
Aspiring fiction writer @SenAdamSchiff got sad today that I called out a bunch more of his lies. The next time he says something truthful will be the first.
Regardless, the Trump EPA will tirelessly work on issues affecting his constituents like hazardous waste removal in LA… pic.twitter.com/WKRaWOnPuC
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) May 21, 2025
