"EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin wrestled with House Democrats on Monday in a hostile hearing that culminated in the top Democratic appropriator facetiously suggesting the agency chief drink weed killer.
The squabble underscored how firmly Democrats oppose the White House’s stance on environmental regulation, and consequently how unlikely the Trump administration is to get the 52% budget cut it seeks for the Environmental Protection Agency in fiscal 2027.
That reduction mirrors the 54.5% reduction President Donald Trump asked for last year. Democrats fought back, resulting in only a 3.5% budget cut for 2026.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, pressed Zeldin Monday about his alleged rejection of climate change science. As evidence, she pointed to the EPA’s repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding and its rollback of fuel emission standards for motor vehicles."
Stephen Lee reports for Bloomberg Environment April 27, 2026.
