Lee Zeldin On Being Chosen By Trump To Head Up EPA: 'It Is An Honor'

LONG ISLAND, NY — President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he would appoint former Rep. Lee Zeldin, a longtime supporter and political ally from Long Island, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

In a statement, Trump said: "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 Protection Agency. 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 will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way."

Trump added that he has "known Lee Zeldin for a long time, and have watched him handle, brilliantly, some extremely difficult and complex situations. I am very proud to have him in the Trump administration, where he will quickly prove to be a great contributor!"

Zeldin wrote on social media: "It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator. We will restore U.S. 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."

The nomination for EPA administrator will need confirmation from the Senate, where Republicans will hold the majority of seats, NPR said.

Zeldin, who lives in Shirley with his wife and two daughters, represented the 1st Congressional District from 2015 to 2023. He bested former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst for the seat and later emerged victorious against Dem challenger Nancy Goroff. He later waged an unsuccessful campaign in 2022, hoping to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul.

According to his bio, at 23, Zeldin was the youngest attorney in New York State at the time, Trump said. He served four years of active duty in the U.S. Army as military intelligence officer, prosecutor, and military magistrate. In 2006, he deployed to Iraq and today still serves in the U.S. Reserve.

Zeldin was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, where he served until elected to Congress in 2014. During eight years in Congress, Zeldin served on the House foreign affairs committee and the House financial services committee. He co-chaired the House Republican Israel Caucus.

Zeldin's platform has long been built on the pillars of foreign policy, border security, military affairs, combating antisemitism, environmental issues, and energy. Locally on Long Island, he has long fought to preserve Plum Island and protect is rich environmental resources — and advocated for veterans.

Zeldin's political ties with Trump have long run deep. In 2022, Zeldin, a Republican received the official endorsement of Trump on Sunday in his race for the governor's seat against Democratic incumbent Hochul.

Trump's endorsement praised his longtime political ally.

"I have watched and known Congressman Lee Zeldin for many years. He is a great and brilliant lawyer who was a 'must see' for others in Congress when they had a complex legal problem that was holding up legislation. Lee was strong on the Border, Crime, our great Military & Vets (like few others!), and fought hard to protect our 2nd Amendment, and succeeded. Lee Zeldin is a WINNER who GOT THINGS DONE. He will be a GREAT Governor of New York, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. GOOD LUCK LEE!"

Also in 2022, Trump held a fundraiser for Zeldin in New Jersey, with Zeldin turning to him for campaign funds, according to the New York Times.

Zeldin's reported support of Trump has been questioned by some in the past. In January 2021, Zeldin's praise of then-President Trump was trending on Twitter just hours after Trump was impeached for the second time.

A trending Tweet by political reporter Paul McLeod shared a quote by Zeldin: "Thank you to the president for his efforts to defeat MS-13 in my district."

Zeldin has been a staunch Trump supporter on Long Island for years.

Zeldin was included in the immigration forum Trump held on Long Island that focused on eradicating gang violence. Donald Trump Jr. was a guest at a Zeldin fundraiser, and Zeldin has greeted the president as he landed on the East End for fundraising events.

Zeldin's loyalty to Trump has raised questions for some.

In January 2022, after decrying the violence that rocked the U.S. Capitol, Zeldin voted to object to the certification of the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

A total of 121 Republican members of the House voted to object to Arizona's election votes, securing Biden's victory. Some Republicans who planned to object reversed course after rioters stormed the Capitol, but Zeldin, a longtime supporter of Trump, maintained his stance.

"Rogue election officials, secretaries of state, and courts circumvented state election laws," he said on the House floor. "They made massive changes to how their state’s election would be run. These acts, among other issues, were unlawful and unconstitutional."

He then called out Democrats. "Democrats have objected every time a Republican presidential candidate has won an election over the past generation," he said.

Also in 2021, U.S. representatives from New York voted along party lines to impeach Trump, except for one Republican who voted with Democrats, for impeaching Trump on a charge that he incited the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The House voted 232-197 in favor, making Trump the first president in United States history to be impeached twice. The historic House vote took place a week after the Capitol incident.

Zeldin voted against impeachment, arguing the attack at the Capitol was "pre-planned and it started while the president was speaking."

Zeldin's stance after the Capitol incident sparked outrage among some of his constituents.

"Any elected official that continues down this line of lies and misinformation doesn't deserve to serve the good people of the United States of America," said Jim Shaw of Greenport.