Photo: Alamy
Less than one week after his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, President Donald Trump began announcing Cabinet positions.
On Monday afternoon, President-elect Trump announced that former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, N.Y., will oversee the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In a press release, Trump wrote, “As the 45th and 47th President of the United States, I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Congressman from New York, Lee Zeldin, will be appointed to serve as The Administrator of The United States Environmental Protective Agency (EPA).”
Trump then elaborated on his reasoning for choosing Zeldin. “Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies. 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 previewed what Zeldin will do at the EPA, which is precisely what millions of Americans are hoping for within nearly every government agency.
“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,” he wrote.
Zeldin responded to Trump’s appointment in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator. We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” Zeldin wrote.
Zeldin appeared on Fox News to discuss his plans for the second Trump administration. The host asked what he intended to do on day one, to which Zeldin responded, “Day one and the first 100 days we have the opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle.”
He continued, “They are forced to cut costs internally. They are moving overseas altogether. To be able to bolster liquidity in the American economy where businesses strive to grow and expand here and have the ability to export what they produce as opposed to exporting their jobs and the companies themselves.”
