Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin appeared before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday, where he faced sharp criticism from Senate Democrats over recent cost-cutting measures and EPA grant reviews.
The hearing, which focused in part on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sparked multiple exchanges between Zeldin and key Democratic senators.
DOGE, an oversight entity within the administration, has targeted what it describes as excessive and wasteful government spending. Its recent actions have drawn intense opposition from Democrats, particularly due to its scrutiny of grants and programs tied to politically connected projects.
During the hearing, Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) questioned Zeldin over a specific grant.
In response, Zeldin remarked that the situation reminded him of Schiff’s past, referencing his known interest in screenwriting.
“It fits, given that he once tried to have a career as an aspiring fiction writer,” Zeldin said.
The comment prompted an immediate reaction from Schiff, leading to an extended exchange.
Later in the session, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) pressed Zeldin over apparent contradictions in statements made by EPA officials regarding grant reviews.
Whitehouse cited a court document in which EPA official Travis Voyles said, “On February 25, 2025, I conducted an individualized review of EPA grant programs.”
He contrasted that with Zeldin’s own prior statements suggesting he had personally reviewed grants.
Whitehouse then referenced a May 16 court filing by Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys that stated Zeldin had not performed individualized, grant-by-grant reviews.
“The problem with your assertion here today is that it is belied by your own employees’ sworn statements in court and by the decision of the Department of Justice to admit that what you say isn’t true,” Whitehouse told Zeldin.
Zeldin pushed back, stating that the review process involved multiple staff members and that Whitehouse was mischaracterizing the procedures.
“No, you’re not grasping the fact that we would have multiple employees looking at these grants. That concept just escapes you,” Zeldin responded.
The exchange escalated, with Zeldin defending the administration’s efforts to reduce what he described as unnecessary federal expenditures.
“We’re not going to waste dollars just because you insist on EPA lighting taxpayer dollars on fire,” he said.
Zeldin added, “The American taxpayers, they put President Trump in office because of people like you. They have Republicans in charge of the House and Senate because of people like you, because you don’t care about 99 percent of this story.”
