President-elect Trump has reportedly appointed former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) to serve as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, adding a second New Yorker and loyalist to his budding Cabinet.
Zeldin is anticipated to pursue the reduction of environmental regulations as part of the Trump administration, as indicated by the president’s statement.
Zeldin has a lifetime score of 14 percent from the far-left League of Conservation Voters, which evaluates politicians based on the frequency with which they cast pro-environment ballots.
A fact which may have contributed to President Trump’s decision to appoint.
Zeldin, who is 44 years old, was a member of Congress from 2015 to 2023.
He served as one of Trump’s most prominent advocates during his initial impeachment in 2019.
Zeldin declined to pursue reelection in 2022 and instead contested the seat of New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D).
He outperformed Republicans in previous elections in the solidly Democratic state, despite losing the race by approximately 6 percentage points.
He is the second New Yorker to be appointed to Trump’s new Cabinet, following Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). Stefanik is expected to assume the role of the United States’ representative to the United Nations.
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