Lee Zeldin doubles down after heated exchange with Democratic congresswoman
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin discusses his debate with Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Rob Menendez on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin doubled down Tuesday after a fiery exchange with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., during a contentious House hearing on the agency’s 2027 budget request that captured headlines.
"The fact that somebody who not only is a former chair of the House Appropriations Committee, but somebody who wants to be the next chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and she doesn't have any idea of this overturning the Chevron doctrine and what it means [is concerning]," Zeldin said during an appearance on Fox News.
Speaking to "The Ingraham Angle," Zeldin emphasized that recent Supreme Court rulings, including the overturning of the Chevron doctrine, are central to understanding the EPA’s authority and the balance of power between Congress and federal agencies.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, left, pictured alongside the ranking member of the House Appropriations, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., right. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"When I was nominated by President Trump to serve as EPA administrator, it was actually one of the very first topics that came up, was going into Loper Bright and what it means as EPA Administrator, the implementation of it, and Michigan vs. EPA, West Virginia vs. EPA, with the major question doctrine, what will that mean once confirmed?" he said.
"And you could argue that these are the two most important principles as far as separation of powers for the relationship between Congress and the executive branch."
DeLauro, the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, got into a heated exchange with Zeldin on Monday over whether she was familiar with such precedents governing the EPA’s mission.
"You’re upset that you don’t know what Loper Bright is," Zeldin said, referring to the landmark Supreme Court case from 2024 that reshaped the power of regulatory agencies.
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Mar. 13, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"I’m upset — because," DeLauro started to respond.
Zeldin interjected, pressing DeLauro on whether she was familiar with the major questions doctrine.
"You’re a member of Congress. You should know," he admonished.
The exchange escalated as Zeldin offered to outline what he described as the two most significant EPA-related Supreme Court cases in recent years, including Michigan v. EPA and West Virginia v. EPA, both of which have had major implications for federal environmental regulation.
The moment came as Zeldin appeared before lawmakers for EPA’s 2027 budget request — a proposal that asks lawmakers to slash the agency’s budget by more than 50%.
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The tensions arose when DeLauro sounded the alarm over the framing of the request, particularly noting that the EPA had asserted that climate change did not exist.
Fox News' Leo Briceno and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
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