https://apnews.com/article/epa-zeldin-budget-trump-congress-ec14adaa7fb9b39fd42afb3c7ac26122
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s appearance before the Senate environment committee was his last of three budget hearings this week where he argued for sharply reduced funding for the agency, which already has seen its staffing reduced to its lowest level in decades under his leadership. During much of the week, the former Republican congressman from New York took an aggressive approach, responding to Democrats in the House and Senate with his own questions and at times accusing them of being unprepared or failing to care about the EPA’s track record.
Zeldin has eliminated major climate change programs, promoted deregulatory efforts he calls the biggest in American history and canceled billions of dollars in Biden-era environmental justice grants to halt what he calls “EPA’s radical diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.”
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“This budget proposal captures significant efficiencies and a return focus on what Congress has directed us to do, demonstrating our commitment to a leaner, more efficient and accountable EPA” that directly benefits Americans, Zeldin told senators Wednesday.
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Zeldin argued that even with less money, the EPA has continued to enforce environmental laws. As examples, he cited an agreement with Mexico to reduce sewage flows into the polluted Tijuana River and sped up work to address radioactive contamination in the St. Louis region.
That work complements strict adherence to the law, a departure from what Zeldin says was the regulatory overreach of President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration that wanted to strangle vital industries such as coal.
