The former Long Island congressman has vowed to claw back $20 billion in Biden administration green energy grants.

Zeldin’s remarks came after President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Zeldin planned to cut EPA’s workforce by 65 percent. That announcement stunned EPA employees and the agency’s supporters, and the White House issued a statement later Wednesday to say that Trump was referring to a 65 percent overall cut in EPA spending.

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said recent layoffs at EPA, coupled with Zeldin's comments about sharp spending cuts, show he had no intent to follow through on a pledge during his confirmation hearing to work collaboratively with EPA's staff.

A White House spokeswoman said the 65% figure referred to expected spending cuts at the agency, rather than staffing levels, a comment that was amplified by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “We don't need to be spending all that money that went through the EPA last year,

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his DOGE team appear to have set their sights on another government agency. The New York Times recently reported that President Trump’s EPA administrator planned to cut up to 65 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) staff,