Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, got into a heated exchange with Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on Monday over whether she was familiar with 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.
“I’m upset — because,” DeLauro started to respond.
“You know what the major policy doctrine is?” Zeldin interjected. “You’re a member of Congress. You should know.”
DeLauro, who had been asking about the framing of President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request, tried to answer again but was cut off.
“You want me to tell you what the two biggest Supreme Court cases are of the last few years?” Zeldin said.
The moment came as Zeldin appeared before Congress for the EPA’s 2027 budget request — a proposal that asks lawmakers to slash the agency’s budget by more than 50%. The tense back-and-forth highlights sharp divisions between the administration and Democrats in Congress over what threat, if any, climate change poses and what resources the U.S. should devote to combating it.
The exchange began when DeLauro raised alarms about the framing of the 2027 budget request, arguing that the EPA had made an assertion that climate change didn’t exist.
“The budget proposal reads like a climate change denier’s manifesto,” DeLauro said.
“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 asked.
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In response, Zeldin argued the agency lacked the power to make that determination.
“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 back.
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Zeldin’s exchange immediately went viral Monday night, with conservatives praising Zeldin’s exchange 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 top Republican National Committee official wrote on X. “She, and her staff, don’t know what they’re doing.”
DeLauro, who struggled to bring the conversation back to the budget, reminded Zeldin he would eventually need congressional authorization to continue 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 said.
A defiant Zeldin doubled down on his attacks on DeLauro.
“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 said.
“I don’t have to listen to this BS,” DeLauro said.
“BS. You think I made up these cases?” Zeldin fired back.
The EPA was given roughly $8.82 billion in the 2026 fiscal year. For 2027, Trump has requested just $4.2 billion for 2027 — a drop that would represent a 52% decrease year over year.
