During his first days on the job, EPA Administrator Zeldin rubber stamps Trump’s crippling funding freeze and violates federal law

Washington (January 31, 2025) - Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and all Democratic members of the Committee in demanding answers from newly-confirmed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin about the agency’s freezing of Congressionally appropriated funds, including those that have already been obligated.  According to public reporting, the EPA sent letters to grant recipients explaining it was pausing “all funding actions related to” the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  Not only are these funding cuts already having devastating effects on communities, with reports of jobs in jeopardy and essential infrastructure projects on the chopping block, but failing to allow grant recipients to access funds that have already been obligated violates federal law.

“We write concerning troubling reports that the Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to claw back funds that have already been obligated to grant recipients. We believe that this is contrary to federal law,” wrote Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Sanders, Merkley, Kelly, Padilla, Schiff, Blunt Rochester, and Alsobrooks. “Many of us have also been contacted by grantees in our states reporting that they no longer have access to the grant money that has been obligated to them.”

The Senators further pressed Administrator Zeldin on his failure to abide by the commitments he made to Members of the Committee during his confirmation hearing. When asked if he believed the president or executive branch could ignore congressional appropriation decisions and instructions, then-nominee Zeldin responded, “If confirmed, I pledge to respect all of Congress’s duly enacted statutes.” When asked if he pledged to respect congressional appropriation decisions and instructions and resist any efforts within the executive branch to circumvent them, he reaffirmed his commitment to executing on EPA’s mission and recognized Congress’s power of the purse, stating “Particularly as a former Member of Congress, I appreciate and respect the Congressional funding process. I commit to fully following the law.” 

But it appears that in his first days as EPA Administrator, Zeldin is already allowing President Trump to pull the strings at EPA by failing swiftly to address these funding freezes that undermine EPA’s core mission and run contrary to federal law. 

“Federal law and regulations require that obligated funds be provided to grantees absent proof of misuse of funds,” wrote the Senators.  “We further note that the Solar for All program furthers several goals, all of which are part of EPA’s core mission, which you support. It is designed to help reduce carbon pollution, air pollutants, and household energy costs by financing community and rooftop solar in low-income communities. It will further help drive American manufacturing, boosting the economy and creating jobs.” 

Accordingly, the Senators demanded that Administrator Zeldin provide a valid legal justification for the funding freezes and explain when he plans restore the availability of the funds to grant recipients.

The text of the letter is below, and a full version (with footnotes) is available here.

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