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EPA leader Zeldin supports slashing agency budget by half at contentious congressional hearings
The $4.2 billion plan would curb state water loans, enforcement and climate research as Congress weighs whether to accept the cuts.
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin faces contentious congressional hearings this week regarding the Trump administration's plan to slash the agency's budget by half, with Zeldin testifying before a Senate committee Wednesday to defend the reductions.
- The proposed $4.2 billion budget would halt what the administration calls 'radical climate research,' reduce support for state water projects, and reverse Biden-era pollution limits, though Zeldin argues the agency can maintain statutory obligations despite funding cuts.
- Democratic lawmakers criticized the proposal as a climate change denier's 'manifesto,' while Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts questioned how the EPA can address PFAS contamination with 90% fewer dollars.
- Republicans defended Zeldin's approach, with Virginia Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith noting that 2021 infrastructure funding was never intended as a permanent norm, while Zeldin highlighted successes including reduced Tijuana River sewage flows.
- Future agency operations face uncertainty as the administration pushes to rescind climate risk findings and limit enforcement, with EPA staffing remaining at its lowest level in decades under Zeldin's leadership.
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Associated Press News+5 Reposted by 5 other sources
EPA leader Zeldin supports slashing agency budget by half at contentious congressional hearings
President Donald Trump's administration proposes cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by roughly half, sparking heated congressional hearings this week.
·United States
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Total News Sources7
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 33%
C 67%
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