Democrats senators pressured Lee Zeldin to follow their extreme climate agenda during a confirmation hearing on Thursday and he was the subject of “gotcha” economic questions.
Zeldin, 44, is an attorney, a former senator from New York, a one-time candidate for New York government, and a regular, interesting tourist on” Gutfeld”! on Fox News. Additionally, his professional history includes four years of active duty in the United States Army, including time spent as an officer in the military knowledge. His subsequent position might be managing director of the EPA in the United States.
Democrat lawmakers frequently return to their climate change mission after Zeldin’s confirmation hearing on Thursday, which covered a wide range of topics.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, suggested that Zeldin had promised “fossil energy sector executives” that he would renounce environmental regulations in exchange for campaign contributions, and that Zeldin would do so.
” These special interests then expect a return on their social expense”, Whitehouse said in his opening statement. ” The question, then, for Mr. Zeldin here before us as President Trump’s candidate to move the Environmental Protection Agency is simple: May he follow the scientific and the economics and defend our air, water, and culture, or did he merely be a rubber stamp for looters and polluters who are setting the Trump plan”?
Because it was the opening statement, Zeldin did not get an immediate response, but Whitehouse kept things interesting by peppering him with challenging climate-related questions.
Trump has nominated candidates with one common trait: They are all, including Zeldin, strong communicators. It is a necessary skill, needed to verbally unravel the exhausting complexities thrown at each candidate, like this one from Whitehouse:
” As a matter of law, is carbon dioxide a pollutant”?
It sounds like a yes or no question, but it begs more explanation.
” As far as carbon dioxide emitted from you during that question, I would say no”, Zeldin said. ” That’s something that definitely needs to be focused on for the EPA,” says the statement” as far as carbon dioxide that is emitted in larger masses that we hear concerns about from scientists as well as from Congress.”
Whitehouse pressed on with the question.
” And as a matter of law, it is a designated pollutant, correct”?
” Senator”, Zeldin responded, “while carbon dioxide is not named as one of the six]pollutants ] in the, in the Clean Air Act, the EPA has been treating it as such”.
Many EPA regulations are based on large-scale spending to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Some people doubt that these minor adjustments will have a positive impact on the climate because they have increased the cost of fuel and vehicles.  ,  ,
” Do you agree with President-elect Trump that climate change is a hoax”?  , Sen. Bernie Sanders asked.
Zeldin told Sanders that Trump’s statement was taken out of context and that he believes climate change is real. He claimed that Trump was concerned about the “economic costs” and was criticizing policies put in place in the name of climate change.
Sanders questioned Zeldin about whether he thought climate change was an “existential threat,” meaning there must be a need to organize us to do something about it. ” Sanders also asked if Zeldin would pressure other countries, including China, to adopt greener policies.
Zeldon assured Sanders that he anticipates discussing climate issues with other nations, including China, and that he views the situation with urgency.
Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming had a different opinion of the science of climate change as a result of Zeldon’s requests to “follow the science” of it.  ,
Is it your responsibility as an EPA administrator to follow the law or the science?
The law, Zeldin answered.
Is it better to have clean air or to eliminate particular fuels in terms of goals and clean air? ” Lummis asked. Zeldin said the goal is to have the” cleanest, safest, healthiest air]and ] drinking water.”
Zeldin made a number of remarks that demonstrate his commitment to the environment, but he also made a point that Democrats made: he discussed how business is affected by climate policies and said the two priorities must be balanced.
According to Zeldin,” The American people elected President Trump last November, in part because of serious concerns about upward economic mobility and their struggle to make ends meet.” Too many of our fellow Americans are stranded in poverty and in need of a whole-of-government solution to give them a helping hand. Without suffocating the economy, we can and must protect our precious environment. A significant portion of this will require developing private sector collaboration to promote smart, common sense regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world.
Beth Brelje covers The Federalist’s elections coverage. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
