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Ed Markey And EPA Head Lee Zeldin Continuously Interrupt Each Other During Fiery Exchange
Forbes Breaking News
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5/21/2025
During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) questioned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about the agency's freezing of congressionally appropriated funds.
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00:00
Senator Markey, you are recognized.
00:07
Thank you, Madam Chair.
00:13
Just want to get to this crocodile care concern, which the Trump administration has, the oil
00:20
and gas boys have, about the greenhouse gas program.
00:28
The Green Bank and the Solar Bank, you know, they're both programs that are very effective,
00:34
but being stopped by this administration.
00:38
I just wanted to point out the $170 billion of fossil fuel giveaways that are already in
00:45
the pipeline for the Trump administration for the fossil fuel industry.
00:49
Meanwhile, we had the Green Bank and the Solar Bank, which is a grand total of $27 billion,
00:56
which McKenzie says is going to unleash $250 billion worth of private sector investment.
01:05
Meanwhile, the richest industries in the world are getting $170 billion worth of giveaways,
01:11
royalty relief, tax breaks, over the very same period of time.
01:16
I don't hear anybody saying that we should be taking those breaks away from the oil and
01:22
gas and coal industry.
01:25
They just want to kill the competition, wind, solar, all electric vehicles, anything that
01:31
would be reducing the need for oil and gas in our country.
01:35
So that's, unfortunately, the state of affairs that we have with this administration at this
01:43
point in time.
01:44
They're terminating the very programs meant to face the challenges that are being presented
01:51
on a nightly basis on every television station in America of these tornadoes, these violent
01:56
storms that are intensifying.
01:59
So let me just move to the bank and what the administration has been saying and doing.
02:11
In a recent study, we can see that it's going to save a lot of money, a lot of funding for
02:22
families across our country if we move in that direction.
02:27
You have decided, Mr. Administrator, to carry out a baseless witch hunt against the Green
02:37
Bank and against the Solar Bank.
02:40
These funds have been frozen now for months.
02:43
And we already know what you're going to say, that there was, quote, rampant waste fraud
02:47
and abuse and conflicts of interest.
02:50
When the district court judge asked if EPA could offer any evidence of a violation of
02:56
a federal criminal law, your lawyer responded, I cannot do so, your honor.
03:03
Are you willing to admit here today, Mr. Administrator, that you don't have any evidence of waste,
03:08
fraud, and abuse?
03:09
I'm happy to go through the list.
03:12
Would you like me to, Senator?
03:13
Why was that evidence not presented in court?
03:15
If you have it.
03:16
Oh, it was.
03:17
I'll do it right now.
03:18
You ready, Senator?
03:19
You want me to?
03:20
I could go through the entire list right now.
03:22
Would you like me to?
03:23
Why was it not presented?
03:24
Do you want it?
03:25
I'm going to do it.
03:26
I'll start.
03:27
Let's see how far down the list you'll let me go before he cut me off.
03:29
It was asked yesterday.
03:30
It was a Biden EPA official cut me off before the first example of evidence.
03:34
It was asked in court yesterday.
03:36
Do you want to know the evidence, Senator, or not?
03:39
When your lawyer was asked to present it before a federal district court judge yesterday, there
03:42
was no evidence.
03:43
The Biden EPA official says now it's not allowed to get the money out as fast as possible before
03:46
the Trump administration comes in.
03:48
It's like we're on the Titanic and we're throwing gold bars off of the edge.
03:52
I'll give you another example.
03:53
I'm going to give you an example.
03:54
Appalachian Community Capital.
03:55
I'm going to reclaim my time, Madam Chair.
03:59
I can't go through the evidence.
04:01
I'm going to reclaim my time.
04:03
Madam Chair, please bring this hearing to order.
04:05
It's not a court.
04:06
Okay.
04:07
Yeah.
04:08
You've said that-
04:09
You want to declare there's no evidence, but you don't want me to go through the list
04:13
of evidence.
04:14
You've said that there are grants that are unqualified recipients.
04:16
You've said-
04:17
Yes, let me talk about it.
04:18
The EPA hunt for shady deals and gold bars.
04:20
And yesterday, yesterday in federal district court, your lawyer defending a lawsuit by groups
04:26
that want access to their own funds, which this Congress appropriated, said repeatedly
04:31
that the EPA was not claiming there has been any violation by any of these groups.
04:38
That's your lawyer yesterday in court.
04:41
And I quote-
04:42
I'm standing right in front of you.
04:43
You have the EPA administrator right here offering to go through a list of evidence,
04:46
and you're saying you don't want me to go through it.
04:48
Your lawyer was in court yesterday-
04:50
Biden panel reviewing an application-
04:51
And your lawyer said-
04:52
Your lawyer said-
04:53
A non-profit coalition-
04:55
Here's what your lawyer said to a judge yesterday-
04:57
Your lawyer yesterday, Mr. Roth said, I am not accusing anyone of fraud.
05:04
You can filibuster this, Mr. Zeldin, but you can't run from the truth.
05:11
Your lawyer yesterday said in court, I am not accusing anyone of fraud.
05:15
The gentleman's time has expired.
05:16
But you keep using-
05:17
The gentleman's time has expired.
05:18
You keep using this inflammatory language-
05:19
The gentleman's time has expired.
05:20
Without any evidence-
05:21
The gentleman's time has expired.
05:22
Being presented in court in order to defend these public accusations you make-
05:26
Wasted your entire five minutes without allowing me to answer-
05:28
The gentleman's time has expired.
05:32
The chair recognizes, Mr. Zeldin.
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