The newly-elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, has chosen former New York Federal Congressman Lee Zedlin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“I am pleased to announce that the esteemed former New York Congressman Lee Zedlin will be appointed as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States,” Trump stated in a written statement on Monday, November 11.
“Lee has a solid legal background and is a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump added.
As part of the Trump administration, Zedlin is expected to seek to relax environmental regulations.
The statement also mentioned that Zedlin will “ensure fair and swift development of regulatory relief decisions to unleash the power of American businesses while maintaining the highest environmental standards.”
Zedlin later responded to the appointment report on social media, saying, “I am honored to join President Trump’s cabinet as the head of the EPA.”
“We will restore America’s dominance in the energy sector, revitalize the American automotive industry, bring job opportunities to America, and make America the global leader in the field of artificial intelligence. While achieving this, we will also protect clean air and water resources,” he added.
In an interview with Fox News, Zedlin stated that within the first hundred days, the Trump administration will “repeal regulations that are causing companies to struggle.”
He did not specify which regulations would be targeted, but he mentioned that Trump has “outlined 15 to 20 different priorities.”
At the age of 44, Zedlin served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023, as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
In 2022, he chose not to seek reelection to the Congress but instead challenged New York Governor Kathy Hochul for the gubernatorial position, unsuccessfully.
He lost in the election by about a 6 percentage point difference, but it was the best performance by a Republican candidate in a New York gubernatorial race in recent years.
Earlier on Monday, Trump announced the appointment of New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Both of these positions require confirmation by the Senate.
Trump’s campaign team, in a statement announcing Zedlin’s leadership of the EPA, said that Zedlin “performed remarkably in the election, helping Republicans flip multiple suburban congressional districts in New York, thereby giving the Republicans a majority in the House.”
In 2023, Zedlin established a political action committee aimed at supporting Republican candidates to attract young voters, minority voters, and Jewish voters, who historically favor the Democratic Party.