Now that we’re moving into post-election week, President-elect Donald Trump is wasting no time in assembling his cabinet and so far, we’re seeing some solid picks. He’s tapped Susie Wiles for Chief of Staff, Tom Homan for “Border Czar,” Rep. Elise Stefanik for U.N. Ambassador, and Stephen Miller for Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
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Monday afternoon, Trump announced he’d tapped former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency. In a statement issued by the Trump-Vance Transition Team, Trump said:
As the 45th & 47th President of the United States, 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 Protective Agency (EPA). 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.
I have 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!
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Zeldin, who served in Congress from 2015 through 2022 and then challenged Kathy Hochul in the New York gubernatorial race, expressed his pleasure with the appointment on X/Twitter:
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. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water. https://t.co/FQk9XPdgcw
— Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) November 11, 2024
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. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.
It will, no doubt, be interesting to see what Zeldin does with the department, particularly as he’ll be taking over on the heels of consequential Supreme Court decisions like West Virginia v. EPA and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (and its companion case, Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce) shifting power away from the regulatory state and back to Congress.
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Zeldin, in his statement, appears to have his eyes set on striking a common-sense balance between energy independence/dominance, economic prosperity, and protecting the environment. Another solid pick by 47.
