Exclusive–Breitbart Fight Club Roundtable: EPA Chief Lee Zeldin Leading ‘Largest Deregulatory Action’ with Trillions of Dollars in Cuts

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said on the Breitbart Fight Club Founders’ Roundtable Tuesday that the agency is leading what amounts to the “largest deregulatory action” ever, slashing “trillions of dollars in deregulation.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Zeldin spoke during the Breitbart Fight Club Roundtable with Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow and Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle about the agency’s efforts to slash government waste, fraud, and abuse.

The EPA administrator, a former congressman, has moved to cancel over $22 billion in contracts as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to eliminate diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) policies, environmental justice grants, and other superfluous government spending.

He emphasized the degree to which the administration has been able to make significant savings by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse at the agency. Zeldin said that the agency’s annual operating budget is $10 billion, while they have been able to cut $22 billion in grants.

The leader of the agency said on the Breitbart Fight Club Roundtable, “One month ago, we announced what amounts to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the country. One agency will do more deregulation in 2025 than entire federal government wide deregulatory effort ever of any administration. We’re going to have trillions of dollars of deregulation, just in the EPA, just in 2025, and we’re going to bring down costs. We’re going to make it doing create jobs, including the auto sector. We’re going to make it easier to buy a home. Make it easier to be able to heat your home. This is the mandate. This the term mandate. This is what people voted for last November. We’re going to follow through to get it done.”

He continued, “So, if you’re asking, what is the future of these terms like environmental justice or climate change, we’re going back to the basics. The core mission at EPA is protecting human health and the environment, and we are going to power the great American comeback.”

Zeldin announced in mid-March that he would move to clear hundreds of backlogged cases to clean air, saying that the Biden administration focused on partisan, “ideological pursuits” rather than the agency’s “core mission.”

“We’re going back to the basics. The core mission at EPA is protecting human health and the environment, and we are going to power the great American comeback. Pillar one, clean airline and water for all Americans to unleash energy dominance. Three, permanent reform and advancing cooperative federalism. We’re going to work with states. Four, making America the AI [artificial intelligence] capital of the world. And five, bringing back American auto jobs. We’re going to fulfill our core mission and power the great American comeback. That’s our commitment to the American people,” Zeldin said.

Zeldin remarked, “The rule about Breitbart Fight Club is that everyone needs to talk about Breitbart Fight Club. So, for all the Breitbart listeners out there who are tuning in, make sure you spread the word. Because I’ve been following what you guys are doing here, and I think this audience is only going to continue to grow, bringing the government to the people tonight. It’s an honor to be here with both you guys.”

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.