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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the rating member on the House Appropriations Committee, received right into a heated trade with Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on Monday over whether or not she was acquainted with precedents governing the EPA’s mission.
“You’re upset that you don’t know what Loper Bright is,” Zeldin stated, referring to the landmark Supreme Court case from 2024 that reshaped the facility of regulatory companies.
“I’m upset — because,” DeLauro began to reply.
“You know what the major policy doctrine is?” Zeldin interjected. “You’re a member of Congress. You should know.”
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, left, pictured alongside the rating member of the House Appropriations, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., proper. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg through Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc through Getty Images)
DeLauro, who had been asking in regards to the framing of President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request, tried to reply once more however was lower off.
“You need me to let you know what the 2 greatest Supreme Court cases are of the previous few years?” Zeldin stated.
The second got here as Zeldin appeared before Congress for the EPA’s 2027 budget request — a proposal that asks lawmakers to slash the company’s budget by greater than 50%. The tense back-and-forth highlights sharp divisions between the administration and Democrats in Congress over what risk, if any, climate change poses and what assets the U.S. ought to dedicate to combating it.
The trade started when DeLauro raised alarms in regards to the framing of the 2027 budget request, arguing that the EPA had made an assertion that local weather change didn’t exist.
“The budget proposal reads like a local weather change denier’s manifesto,” DeLauro stated.
“When climate change is flooding our streets, poisoning our air, driving up health care, how can the EPA justify abandoning that duty to protect Americans, to appease polluters under the false flag of economic growth?” DeLauro requested.
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, speaks to members of the media following a information convention outdoors the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
In response, Zeldin argued the company lacked the facility to make that willpower.
“You do not have the right to say climate change does not exist, that it’s a hoax,” DeLauro responded. “And that’s where this administration is.”
“You’re very defensive about not knowing the two biggest landmark Supreme Court cases of the last year with regards to your question,” Zeldin fired again.
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Zeldin’s trade instantly went viral Monday evening, with conservatives praising Zeldin’s trade and slamming DeLauro.
“FATALITY,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on X.
“Terrible take. Even worse hair,” the White House posted on X.
“This is one of the most satisfying hearing exchanges I’ve ever seen. Rosa De Lauro clearly *doesn’t* understand the law or Loper Bright – she’s used to just spewing climate alarmism pablum,” longtime Republican operative Matt Whitlock posted on X. “She gets so flummoxed she threatens to *defund EPA* – uh oh don’t do that!”
“Brilliant,” Kari Lake, a senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, posted on X.
“This is a tough look for [Rosa DeLauro]. No idea what she’s talking about, no idea about relevant Supreme Court decisions — completely ill prepared,” John Seravalli, a high Republican National Committee official wrote on X. “She, and her staff, don’t know what they’re doing.”
DeLauro, who struggled to convey the dialog again to the budget, reminded Zeldin he would ultimately want congressional authorization to proceed the EPA’s work.
“You know, you’re here because you need money from us. So halt for a second and wait for the questions and answer the question,” DeLauro stated.
A defiant Zeldin doubled down on his assaults on DeLauro.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin of New York speaks earlier than Congress throughout a listening to. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
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“I answered your question. You didn’t like my answer because you don’t know what Loper Bright is, because you don’t know what the major policy doctrine is,” Zeldin stated.
“I don’t have to listen to this BS,” DeLauro stated.
“BS. You think I made up these cases?” Zeldin fired again.
The EPA was given roughly $8.82 billion within the 2026 fiscal yr. For 2027, Trump has requested just $4.2 billion for 2027 — a drop that might symbolize a 52% lower yr over yr.
