Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, clashed Monday with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a viral, talk-over-each-other exchange that left the Connecticut lawmaker fuming and conservatives cheering.
The fireworks came during Zeldin’s appearance before Congress to defend the EPA’s fiscal 2027 budget request, a Trump administration proposal that would slash the agency’s funding by more than half.
At one point, Zeldin accused DeLauro of not knowing key legal precedents that shape what federal regulators can do.
You’re upset that you don’t know what Loper Bright is, Zeldin said, referencing the 2024 Supreme Court decision that reshaped how agencies interpret and enforce regulations.
I’m upset — because, DeLauro began.
Zeldin cut in.
You know what the major policy doctrine is? he said. You’re a member of Congress. You should know.
DeLauro tried to pivot back to the budget, but Zeldin kept pushing.
You want me to tell you what the two biggest Supreme Court cases are of the last few years? Zeldin said.
The exchange escalated after DeLauro accused the administration of treating climate change like a myth.
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? she asked.
Zeldin responded by arguing that the agency doesn’t have the authority to make sweeping declarations the way DeLauro suggested.
You do not have the right to say climate change does not exist, that it’s a hoax, DeLauro shot back. And that’s where this administration is.
Zeldin didn’t let it go.
You’re very defensive about not knowing the two biggest landmark Supreme Court cases of the last year with regards to your question, he said.
As the clip spread online, conservatives piled on.
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, Republican operative Matt Whitlock wrote on X.
DeLauro, visibly irritated, reminded Zeldin that Congress controls the purse strings.
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, she said.
Zeldin doubled down.
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, he said.
I don’t have to listen to this BS, DeLauro responded.
BS. You think I made up these cases? Zeldin fired back.
The EPA received about $8.82 billion for fiscal 2026. Trump’s request for 2027 is $4.2 billion, a drop that would amount to about a 52% cut year over year.
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