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Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I strongly support Congressman Lee Zeldin as the nominee to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. We are blessed in America with enormous natural resources. I support using our resources responsibly; I support sensible environmental stewardship; and that is what we will have with Mr. Zeldin.

Americans deserve clean wear and clean air. They deserve good jobs and economic strength. Environmental protection and economic growth should go hand in hand; they are not mutually exclusive. As the head of the EPA, Lee will return the Agency to its original mission of protecting America's air, water, and land without, as he puts it, suffocating the economy.

Nearly 2 weeks ago, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on Lee Zeldin, and as the former chairman of the committee, I was honored to introduce him. He is highly qualified, and his support is bipartisan. He is a lifelong public servant, and he is a seasoned lawyer and has a sharp legal mind.

He has over 20 years of military service and currently serve as lieutenant colonel in our U.S. Army Reserve.

Lee also served 8 years in Congress, in the House of Representatives, as a Representative from New York. In that role, he worked to strengthen our economy as well as protect his district's unique ecosystem. He worked across party lines to accomplish his goals.

For the last 4 years, the so-called experts at the Environmental Protection Agency went on a reckless regulatory rampage. They saddled American families and businesses with higher costs and with heavyhanded restrictions. They bowed to climate extremism while ignoring common sense.

In 2024, the EPA introduced one of the most expensive regulations in American history. It is called the electric vehicle mandate. The EV mandate was truly leftwing lunacy at its worst. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the total cost of compliance is over $760 billion--with a ``b.'' To put this in perspective, the cost of this one regulation coming out of the Biden administration was equal to the entire pricetag of 8 years of regulations under the Presidency of Barack Obama. The EV mandate would also cost hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Americans rejected the EV mandate and other costly climate policies this past November at the ballot box.

President Trump revoked the EV mandate on his first day in office. Here in the Senate, repealing the Biden EV subsidies is one of my top priorities. These subsidies alone are estimated to cost taxpayers more than $393 billion.

Americans shouldn't have their taxpayer dollars pay for vehicles that most Americans don't want, can't afford, and actually don't work for them and their families. Americans shouldn't be dependent on communist China like we are today with electric vehicles.

Lee Zeldin will continue President Trump's mission to roll back these punishing political regulations.

The EPA does important work. It does that work in States and in local communities. Lee will be a fantastic partner to my home State of Wyoming. He is not going to impose one-size-fits-all mandates on American consumers and American businesses. Instead, he is going to cut redtape. We will see a new wave of creativity and innovation. Lee knows that innovation, not government intervention, is the best solution to lower prices, to grow the economy, and to protect our environment.

Many Americans are confident that Lee will right the ship and restore the balance needed at the EPA. One of these organizations is the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. In a letter to the committee, the association said that Lee has ``shown a willingness to engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to address pressing issues.''

Lee also impressed our colleagues here in the Senate. That is why my Democrat colleague from Arizona said about Lee:

He's a qualified candidate for this job.

I share America's confidence in Lee.

Through 3 hours of tough questions, Lee Zeldin provided quality answers and proved that he is well qualified. He showed he is committed to strong environmental protection and to energy production. He is the right nominee to lead the EPA. The Senate should confirm him quickly.
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