EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin schools House Democrat on environmental policies

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin got into a heated argument Monday with Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro on climate change science.

The EPA is requesting a 52% budget cut for fiscal year 2027, which lawmakers warned could face bipartisan pushback because it would greatly reduce grants that many states and Native tribes rely on, according to Bloomberg Law.

DeLauro, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, questioned the administrator on some of his recent decisions, including the EPA’s repeal of the Obama-era 2009 endangerment finding, claiming the budget proposal "reads like a climate change denier’s manifesto." 

The lawmaker asked Zeldin how he could justify his decisions to repeal Biden and Obama administration policies, which she claimed amounted to the EPA "abandoning its duty" to protect Americans "under the false flag of economic growth." 

Zeldin responded by pointing to recent Supreme Court decisions that curbed the EPA's ability to "get creative" with federal guidelines, such as in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, and questioned DeLauro's knowledge of the ruling.

The Connecticut Democrat admitted she did not know the case but attacked the administration on the reasoning behind its decision, claiming "you do not have the right to say that climate change does not exist, that it's a hoax, that's where this administration is coming from." 

Zeldin responded that a "member of Congress" should know critical Supreme Court rulings such as Loper Bright and West Virginia v. EPA.

"Nothing infuriates an uninformed Congressional Dem more than when they realize they voluntarily triggered a debate with someone who actually knows what they are talking about, reads federal statute and adheres to Supreme Court precedent," Zeldin posted on X with a video of the exchange. 

"Today’s self-implosion by [DeLauro] was quite remarkable to witness," he continued. "Without apology or regret, I will always adhere to the best available reading of federal statute pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.