US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Murray calls out ongoing defiance of appropriations laws
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s remarks and questioning***
Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, blasted the Trump administration’s mass firings and proposed budget cuts at the EPA and called out Administrator Lee Zeldin for cancelling grants across the country and illegally blocking funding approved by Congress.
In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:
“Administrator Zeldin, you helm an agency that was created by a Republican president that is responsible for making sure that Americans can drink clean water, breathe clean air, and lead healthy lives.
“It seems to me the Trump administration’s entire vision for your agency amounts to ‘burn it down.’ Now, burning down the EPA might be a great way to generate smog, but it is a terrible way to protect families’ health.
“Look at the $25 billion in federal funding you have been illegally freezing and cancelling in my state and across the country. We’re talking about investments for things like heat pumps to reduce energy costs and pollution, wildfire preparedness to prevent smoke exposure, or infrastructure upgrades to protect drinking water from floods and earthquakes.
“Blocking this funding is hurting communities everywhere, and it has prompted lawsuits, as well as investigations by the Government Accountability Office, and I have to say to you: it is unacceptable to hear from GAO that your agency has not been cooperating with those requests from them.
“And now, the President’s request would slash funding for your agency by over 50 percent—taking it back to levels last seen 50 years ago, by the way. And I should note: protecting the health and well-being of the American public does not happen on its own.
“The EPA is powered by skilled and dedicated public servants—a group you have worked to demonize for months on end.
“Now, while you proudly gut your own agency’s workforce, you leave hard-working Americans suffering the consequences.
“Your job is to make sure our kids have clean water when they turn on the tap, fresh air when they go outside. Your job is to make sure our rivers in Washington state are full of salmon, not toxic sludge. And your job is to follow the law and to get the funds out that Congress passed.
“For the past two years, this Committee has passed bipartisan spending bills to invest in the EPA, and into our communities.
“And, despite the draconian budget you have put forward, I’m going to be pushing to work with this Committee on a bipartisan agreement once again that safeguards our health and our environment.”
[EPA STAFFING & BUDGET CUTS]
Senator Murray began her questioning by calling out how Administrator Zeldin and Trump are firing EPA employees en masse and proposing draconian funding cuts. “Now, Administrator Zeldin, at the same time you propose cutting the EPA’s budget by 54%, and slashing staff by over 20%, and gutting many of the EPA’s core programs, you insist that, despite these cuts, the EPA can carry out the congressional directives of the bill we passed with bipartisan support through this committee—without compromising the EPA’s responsibilities. There is no way that could be true,” Senator Murray stated, continuing: “Do you understand, Administrator, that your job is to execute the bipartisan laws negotiated in this committee and in Congress, and carry them out faithfully? Not to gut the programs that Congress passes into law?”
“Of course, we will fulfill all statutory obligations. And I would encourage you to read the announcement that we put out the morning of the President’s 100th day that has 100 environmental wins from the first 100 days of the Trump presidency. I don’t know if you’ve had an opportunity to read it yet,” responded Administrator Zeldin.
“Well, I have had an opportunity to see your budget. And when you eliminate offices, and slash staffing, and propose cutting the budget in half of EPA—you are making certain that the government will not be able to protect the public from pollution. That is not what Congress intended,” Murray replied.
[PROPOSED CUTS TO CATEGORICAL GRANTS TO STATES]
Senator Murray then pressed Administrator Zeldin on how states are supposed to continue enforcement of federal environmental laws without funding the federal government has long provided, since the Trump budget request proposes massive cuts. “Now, the federal government has given states significant responsibility to implement our bedrock environmental laws, like enforcement of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA provides basic funding—categorical grants—to every single state so they can carry out more than 90% of the on the groundwork that is necessary to comply with environmental laws. Your budget cuts 16 of 19 categorical grant programs, which the Environmental Council of the States—a bipartisan organization of environmental agency directors from all 50 states—says will ‘incapacitate state environmental programs.’ That’s from them, not from me. We are talking about massive cuts. $843 million for Texas, $459 million for Florida, $169 million for Louisiana. It’s hard to see as this is anything other than the EPA abandoning its responsibility to states. And I wanted to ask you, have you consulted with any of the states on this proposal to eliminate almost all the categorical grant funding?” askedSenator Murray.
“Every aspect of this skinny budget was done deliberately as a result of a lot of conversation—a lot of thoughtful conversation,” Zeldin stated.
“With the states?” Senator Murray followed up.
“States are absolutely included as it relates to conversations that we take place—that conversations that take place, about our priorities,” Zeldin responded.
“Well, I will say: my state and many of the states said this would be devastating, and states cannot shoulder this burden,” replied Senator Murray. “And I look forward to working with this committee to—as we’ve done before, in a bipartisan way—make sure that we fund these programs.”
[TERMINATED EXTREME WEATHER PREPAREDNESS GRANT]
Finally, Senator Murray pressed Administrator Zeldin on the mass termination of EPA grants, including one for extreme weather and wildfire preparedness in Spokane, Washington. “Finally, your agency has been cutting billions of dollars in grants indiscriminately, irrationally, across the country including in my home state of Washington. And I want to give you an example. Wildfire and extreme heat waves. They are major threats to public health for a lot of the country. A few weeks ago, the EPA terminated a grant that would have made sure community centers in Spokane had the infrastructure needed to serve as a refuge during extreme weather and wildfire emergencies. There was no explanation for that cancelation. That is a community that saw 19 people die and over 300 people hospitalized during a heat wave a few short years ago, where wildfires are a constant threat. So let me ask you, is it woke to protect people from wildfires and heat stroke?” Senator Murray fired back.
“I don’t know if you’re going to get anyone in America to answer yes to the way you put that question out there,” Administrator Zeldin said, avoiding the question.
“Well, is it inefficient? Is it wasteful? Why was this grant eliminated?” responded Senator Murray.
Administrator Zeldin refused to answer: “Well, there are hundreds of grants. I would have to have that individual grant in front of me. One of the… while Congress sets an appropriated level on a particular type of grant, we need to make sure that over the course of the fiscal year, that that money is…”
Senator Murray interjected, stating: “Well apparently, after four months, you decided that this community—Spokane—didn’t need to deal with their extreme weather and wildfire emergencies. I don’t know whether you won’t tell me whether it’s inefficient, wasteful, whatever your word is. But you need to know that you’re abandoning communities in my state across the country. And that funding was appropriated for work exactly like this. Thank you, Madam Chair.”