Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reacts as former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin speaks at a rally ahead of the New Hampshire primary election in Concord, New Hampshire, U.S. January 19, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump said that he would appoint former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Trump said that Zeldin, an attorney who represented a Long Island congressional for four terms, “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,” Trump said in a statement.
Zeldin, 44, in a tweet wrote that “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,” Zeldin wrote. “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.
Zeldin has an extremely low lifetime rating score — 14% — from the League of Conservation Voters, for his many votes in the House of Representatives that were considered “anti-environment” by that group.
Zeldin was the Republican Party’s nominee for governor of New York in 2022.
He was defeated by incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Earlier Monday, NBC News confirmed that Trump had selected Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York as his ambassador to the United Nations, his first Cabinet pick. Stefanik is chair of the House Republican Conference.
Trump announced Sunday that Tom Homan would be his so-called border czar, who, in addition to securing U.S. borders “will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.”
Homan is the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
