Trump taps Jewish ex-congressman Lee Zeldin to head EPA

Zeldin, a Republican, voted for key environmental legislation just 14% of the time during his tenure in the House of Representatives.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 12, 2024 18:22

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, US January 19, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ/FILE PHOTO)

US President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Jewish former Republican Representative Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, he announced on social media on Monday. 

"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 post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump has signaled that he will reverse many EPA policies regarding the burning of fossil fuels, including curbing carbon emissions from power plants and slashing such emissions from vehicles.

Trump has said he plans to begin rescinding EPA and Transportation Department vehicle pollution rules on his first day in office. He is also considering scaling back or eliminating EV tax breaks, and reportedly intends to rescind California's ability to set its own vehicle emissions rules, as he did in 2019.

Zeldin, who served in the House from 2015 – 2023 as the Representative from New York's 1st congressional district, often voted against legislation on green issues, including a measure to stop oil companies from price gouging. He cast "yes" votes on key pieces of environmental legislation just 14% of the time, according to a scorecard by environmental group the League of Conservation Voters.

NEW YORK Congressman and Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin shakes hands with people during the annual Columbus Day parade in New York City, earlier this month (credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON)

One of the highest-ranking Jewish Republicans

"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 said on the X social media platform, using the acronym for artificial intelligence. Zeldin will go through the Senate confirmation process, though he will almost certainly pass because of the Republican majority in the government. 

The average score in the House of Representatives in 2022, Zeldin's last year in Congress, was 52%. But his lifetime score topped the 4% average of the four Republican House leaders that year.

According to Reuters, Zeldin voted against Biden's landmark climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act, which got no Republican votes, and rejected legislation that would crack down on price gouging by oil companies.

In 2016, Zeldin joined the House's bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, which says it works to combat climate change while protecting US economic prosperity.

Given his voting record, his appointment has been met with apprehension from environmental agencies.

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"During the confirmation process, we would challenge Lee Zeldin to show how he would be better than Trump’s campaign promises or his own failing 14% environmental score if he wants to be charged with protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and finding solutions to climate change," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, a senior vice president at the League of Conservation Voters.

Zeldin gained notoriety after he ran for governor of New York against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022. During his election campaign, he distanced himself from Trump, though he previously voted not to certify Biden's 2020 presidential election victory. 

He sits on the National Board of Directors of the Republican Jewish Coalition and has been called one of the highest-ranked Jewish Republicans in the country by American Jewish media.  

The RJC said that it was "thrilled" in a Monday statement and noted that "Zeldin’s background in the military, in law, in the New York State Senate, and on Capitol Hill has given him a wealth of experience in public service to lead the fight to restore US energy dominance."

He is notably pro-Israel and spoke at the 2022 Jerusalem Post Conference in New York. "The US’ strongest ally in the world is Israel,” Zeldin said, “a beacon of hope and freedom in the darkest region in the world. We should be doing everything to strengthen that bond."

Reuters contributed to this report.