Trump announces former congressman Lee Zeldin as his choice to head Environmental Protection Agency

Donald Trump continues to fill spots in his second administration, which will begin this coming Jan. 20. Today, he announced former New York congressman, Lee Zeldin as his choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The president-elect announced his decision via a statement, in which he explained that Zeldin's work will focus on "ensuring fair and swift deregulatory decisions are enacted in a way that frees up the power of American businesses while maintaining the highest environmental standards."

Zeldin, now 44, spent eight years as a member of the House of Representatives for New York's first district. In 2022 he was the Republican candidate for governor of the state, finishing surprisingly close to Democrat Kathy Hochul in the general election, just eight points behind. Indeed, it was the best election for a Republican in twenty years, following George Pataki's victory in 2022.

That campaign led him to be considered as a possible chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), although he ultimately decided not to go for the position, which was then granted to Ronna McDaniel.

Zeldin celebrated his nomination on social media, thanking Trump for the vote of confidence. "It is an honor to join President Trump's cabinet as EPA administrator," he began.

"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," he added on his X account.

Monday was a good day for New York Republicans, given that Zeldin's nomination was joined by that of Congresswoman Elisse Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations.

"I am truly honored to win President Trump's nomination to serve in his cabinet as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations," the Republican congresswoman expressed on social media after the news broke.

What does the EPA do?

According to its own website, the agency is responsible for "the protection of human health and the environment. EPA: Provides technical assistance to support recovery planning of public health and infrastructure, such as waste water treatment plants."