Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, got into a heated exchange with Lee Zeldin, <\/a>Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on Monday over whether she was familiar with precedents governing the EPA\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n “You\u2019re upset that you don\u2019t know what Loper Bright is,” Zeldin said, referring to the landmark Supreme Court case<\/a> from 2024 that reshaped the power of regulatory agencies.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m upset \u2014 because,” DeLauro started to respond.<\/p>\n “You know what the major policy doctrine is?” Zeldin interjected. “You\u2019re a member of Congress. You should know.”<\/p>\n STACEY ABRAMS SLAMMED AFTER DEFENDING $2 BILLION IN BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDS TO BUY GREEN ENERGY APPLIANCES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n DeLauro, who had been asking about the framing of President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s 2027 budget request, tried to answer again but was cut off.<\/p>\n “You want me to tell you what the two biggest Supreme Court cases<\/a> are of the last few years?” Zeldin said.<\/p>\n The moment came as Zeldin appeared before Congress<\/a> for the EPA\u2019s 2027 budget request \u2014 a proposal that asks lawmakers to slash the agency\u2019s 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<\/a> poses and what resources the U.S. should devote to combating it.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n “The budget proposal<\/a> reads like a climate change denier’s manifesto,” DeLauro said.<\/p>\n “<\/strong>When climate change is flooding our streets, poisoning our air, driving up health care,<\/a> how can the EPA justify abandoning that duty to protect Americans, to appease polluters under the false flag of economic growth?” DeLauro asked.<\/p>\n TRUMP OFFICIAL FIRES BACK AT DEM’S EPSTEIN DONOR CLAIM: ‘TOTALLY DIFFERENT PERSON’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, speaks to members of the media following a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15, 2025.<\/span> (Eric Lee\/Bloomberg)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In response, Zeldin argued the agency lacked the power to make that determination. \u00a0<\/p>\n “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.” \u00a0<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n TRUMP TAPS FORMER NEW YORK REP LEE ZELDIN TO LEAD EPA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Zeldin’s exchange immediately went viral Monday night, with conservatives praising Zeldin’s exchange and slamming DeLauro.<\/p>\n “FATALITY,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on X.<\/p>\n “Terrible take. Even worse hair,” the White House posted on X.<\/p>\n “This is one of the most satisfying hearing exchanges I\u2019ve ever seen. Rosa De Lauro clearly *doesn\u2019t* understand the law or Loper Bright – she\u2019s 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\u2019t do that!”<\/p>\n “Brilliant,” Kari Lake, a senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, posted on X.<\/p>\n “This is a tough look for [Rosa DeLauro]. No idea what she\u2019s talking about, no idea about relevant Supreme Court decisions \u2014 completely ill prepared,” John Seravalli, a top Republican National Committee official wrote on X. “She, and her staff, don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing.”<\/p>\n DeLauro, who struggled to bring the conversation back to the budget, reminded Zeldin he would eventually need congressional authorization to continue the EPA\u2019s work.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n A defiant Zeldin doubled down on his attacks on DeLauro.<\/p>\n BIDEN-HARRIS EPA FUNDING ‘RADICAL, LEFT-LEANING’ ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS CALLING TO END FOSSIL FUELS: REPORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin of New York speaks before Congress during a hearing.<\/span> (Mark Schiefelbein\/AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “I don’t have to listen to this BS,” DeLauro said.<\/p>\n “BS. You think I made up these cases?” Zeldin fired back.<\/p>\n The EPA was given roughly $8.82 billion in the 2026 fiscal year. For 2027, Trump has requested just $4.2<\/a> billion<\/a> for 2027 \u2014 a drop that would represent a 52% decrease year over year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Rep.](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/rosa-delauro-stands-on-capitol-steps.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"EPA](\"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lee-zeldin-speaks-in-congress.png\")
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