Lee Zeldin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Zeldin
Official portrait, 2025
17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office January 29, 2025
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	David Fotouhi (nominee)
Preceded by	Michael S. Regan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 1st district
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Tim Bishop
Succeeded by	Nick LaLota
Member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd district
In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014
Preceded by	Brian X. Foley
Succeeded by	Thomas Croci
Personal details
Born	Lee Michael Zeldin (1980-01-30) January 30, 1980 (age 45) East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Diana Gidish
Children	2
Relatives	Isaiah Zeldin (uncle)
Education	University at Albany, SUNY (BA) Albany Law School (JD)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	2003–2007 (active) 2007–present (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Unit	Military Intelligence Corps
Battles/wars	Global War on Terrorism

Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve who has been serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 29, 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. From 2011 to 2014, Zeldin served as a member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd Senate district.

During Donald Trump's first presidency, Zeldin was a Trump ally. He prominently defended Trump during his first impeachment hearings concerning the Trump–Ukraine scandal. In April 2021, Zeldin announced his candidacy for governor of New York in 2022. He defeated three challengers in the Republican primary, becoming the nominee of the Republican Party and the Conservative Party. Zeldin lost the election to incumbent governor Kathy Hochul while receiving the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1970.

In November 2024, Zeldin was nominated for Administrator of the EPA as part of the second administration of President Donald Trump. He was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on January 29, 2025.

Early life and education

Zeldin was born in East Meadow, New York, the son of Merrill Schwartz and David Zeldin. He was raised in Suffolk County, New York, and graduated from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, New York, in 1998. He also attended Hebrew school.

Zeldin received a bachelor's degree in political science from the SUNY University at Albany in 2001. He received a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in May 2003. In 2004, he was admitted to the New York State Bar. He expressed doubt about climate change.

Military service and legal practice

Zeldin received an Army ROTC commission as a second lieutenant, and served in the United States Army from 2003 to 2007, first in the Military Intelligence Corps. In 2007, he transitioned from active duty to the Army Reserve, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 2007, Zeldin became an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In 2008, he started a general-practice law firm in Smithtown, New York. He operated it full-time until he was elected to New York's 3rd State Senate district in 2010.

New York State Senate (2011–2014)

In 2010, Zeldin ran in the New York State Senate's 3rd District, challenging Democratic incumbent Brian X. Foley. Zeldin defeated Foley with 57% of the vote. Zeldin was reelected in 2012, defeating Democrat Francis Genco with 56% of the vote.

In January 2011, a bill co-sponsored by Zeldin that provided for a 2% property tax cap became law.

In June 2011, Zeldin voted against the Marriage Equality Act, which the Senate passed 33–29. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law. In a statement after the bill passed, Zeldin said: "It is my belief that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman."

In December 2011, Zeldin supported a $250 million cut to the MTA payroll tax.

In March 2012, Zeldin helped to create the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Support program; funding for the program was included in the 2012–13 New York State Budget.

Zeldin did not vote on the NY SAFE Act, a gun control bill that passed the New York State Senate on January 14, 2013, and later became law. He missed the vote because he was in Virginia on Army Reserve duty. In a statement released to the press after the vote, he said he would have voted against the measure.

In February 2014, Zeldin introduced a bill that sought to halt implementation of the Common Core curriculum for three years.

In March 2014, Zeldin voted against the New York Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students who meet in-state tuition requirements to obtain financial aid to study at the university level.

U.S. House of Representatives (2015-2023)

Elections

2008

In 2008, Zeldin challenged incumbent representative Tim Bishop in New York's 1st congressional district. Bishop defeated Zeldin 58%–42%.

2014

On October 6, 2013, Zeldin announced he would again seek the Republican nomination to run against Bishop. His state senate district included much of the congressional district's western portion.

Zeldin defeated George Demos in the Republican primary and ran unopposed for the Conservative Party nomination in the June 24 primary. On November 4, he defeated Bishop with 54% of the vote.

2016

In February 2015, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced that Zeldin was one of 12 members in the Patriot Program, a program designed to help protect vulnerable Republican incumbents in the 2016 election.

In the 2016 Republican primary, Zeldin faced no opposition. In the November 8 general election, he faced Democratic nominee Anna Throne-Holst, a member of the Southampton Town Board. Zeldin won with 58% of the vote.

2018

Zeldin during the 115th Congress

Zeldin ran unopposed in the 2018 Republican primary. In the November general election his chief opponent was Democratic nominee Perry Gershon, who also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

Zeldin's 2018 campaign featured fundraisers with Breitbart News founder Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka. At the Gorka event, reporters from local news outlets were removed.

Zeldin defeated Gershon, 51.5%–47.4%.

2020

Zeldin ran unopposed in the Republican primary. In the November 3 general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Nancy Goroff, 54.9%–45.1%.

Tenure

As of August 2020, Zeldin was one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress.

Amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zeldin was one of 963 Americans the Russian Foreign Ministry banned from entering Russia.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance

2022 gubernatorial campaign

In April 2021, Zeldin announced he would run for governor of New York in 2022. On April 30, 2021, Zeldin announced that Erie and Niagara counties' Republican party chairs had endorsed his campaign, giving him the necessary 50% of state committee support to gain the Republican nomination. In June 2021, Republican state chair Nick Langworthy named Zeldin the party's "presumed nominee" after he earned 85% of a straw poll vote of county leaders. Conservative state chair Gerard Kassar also called Zeldin the "presumptive nominee" of the Conservative Party of New York State. As of August 2021, Zeldin had been endorsed by 49 of New York's 62 county Republican party chairs.

Zeldin's campaign reportedly raised $4 million during the first half of 2021 and $4.3 million in the second half. 90% of his donations were small-dollar donations. Zeldin visited every county in New York State twice during his campaign. In November 2021, he declined to commit to campaigning with Donald Trump, saying, "There are plenty of New Yorkers who love him, there are plenty of New Yorkers out there who don't."

On March 1, 2022, Zeldin received the New York Republican State Committee's designation for governor of New York; 85% of the committee voted to back him. He has also received the Conservative Party's designation. Zeldin's preferred pick for lieutenant governor, retired NYPD Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito, ran unopposed and also received the state party's designation.

Zeldin faced Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, and Harry Wilson in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary and was declared the winner on June 29, 2022. He faced incumbent governor Kathy Hochul in the November general election.

Although the election was closer than most gubernatorial contests since 2002, Zeldin lost to Hochul, 53.2% to 46.8%. He received the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1970.

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2025-present)

Nomination and confirmation

In November 2024, CNN reported that Zeldin was Trump's nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His confirmation hearing was held on January 16, 2025. The committee advanced his nomination in a 11–8 vote on January 23. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 29, in a 56–42 vote.

Tenure

On January 29, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh swore Zeldin into office as the 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Political positions

Bail reform

Zeldin has opposed New York's bail reform, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges, repeatedly calling for its repeal.

Education

In July 2015, Zeldin attached an amendment to the Student Success Act to allow states to opt out of Common Core without penalty. The amendment was passed and signed into law.

Environment

In 2014, he "expressed doubts about the severity" of climate change.

In April 2015, Zeldin and Senator Chuck Schumer introduced the Fluke Fairness Act. The bill would have changed the current system for managing fluke fishing quotas by creating a regional approach to updating quotas and standards based on geographic, scientific, and economic data. It did not pass.

On July 15, 2015, Zeldin introduced the Exclusive Economic Zone Clarification Act. The bill proposed to amend the boundary in part of the federal Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It would give fisheries management of Block Island Sound exclusively to New York and Rhode Island. (Some Connecticut fishermen alleged that the bill could put them out of business.) The bill died in committee.

In September 2015, Zeldin and Citizens Campaign for the Environment executive director Adrienne Esposito condemned a proposed federal plan for dumping dredged materials, saying, "We can't just assume that dumping these waste spoils in the Long Island Sound is environmentally benign."

In April 2018, Zeldin said he did not support the Paris Agreement in its form. He expressed concern about "other countries that are contributing to very adverse impacts on our climate but not having the level of responsibility that they need to have in stepping up and making a positive change in their own countries".

During his gubernatorial campaign in 2021, he pledged to reverse New York state´s 2015 ban on hydraulic fracturing. In 2022, he voted against the Inflation Reduction Act.

During his confirmation hearing for EPA Director, Zeldin stated that climate change is a real issue and needs to be addressed.

Foreign affairs

In January 2016, the New York Post reported that Zeldin was a no-show in 2015 at 12 of 18 House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearings that dealt specifically with ISIL and with Syria.

In February 2016, Zeldin and Representatives Mike Pompeo and Frank LoBiondo sought visas to travel to Iran to check the country's compliance with the Iran nuclear deal framework. In June 2016, Iran called the request a "publicity stunt" and said it would deny the visas.

Zeldin has said that Israel is "America's strongest ally" and that Congress must "protect Israel's right to self-defense". In 2016, he spoke in support of the anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) legislation that passed the New York State Senate. In March 2017, he co-sponsored a bipartisan bill in the House, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, to oppose boycotts of Israel and "further combat the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement". He supported the Trump administration's decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018 as part of the United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

Zeldin spoke highly of the Abraham Accords and nominated Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz for a Nobel Peace Prize for their work on the agreement.

Health care

In 2015, Zeldin co-sponsored two bills in Congress to combat Lyme disease, the Tick-Borne Disease Research and Accountability and Transparency Act of 2015 and the 21st Century Cures Act.

On May 4, 2017, Zeldin voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act.

According to an April 2020 announcement by Zeldin, he helped Suffolk County obtain more than 1.2 million pieces of personal protective equipment from the White House for Suffolk County to aid workers against the COVID-19 pandemic, after conversations with Jared Kushner.

During the 2020 election campaign, Zeldin participated in campaign rallies without wearing a mask or adhering to social distancing.

Zeldin is vaccinated against COVID-19.

After Governor Kathy Hochul imposed a vaccination mandate on healthcare workers, Zeldin criticized Stony Brook University Hospital for firing employees who declined to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and for using incendiary language in termination letters to those employees. He also opposes mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccine mandates for schoolchildren.

Infrastructure

Zeldin voted against both the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on July 1, 2021, and the Senate amendment to it on November 5, 2021.

Land management

In April 2016, Zeldin introduced legislation to prevent the federal government's sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder. The next month, his bill unanimously passed the House.

Taxes

In November 2017, Zeldin said he was unsatisfied with the proposed Republican tax bill. He cited his concerns with eliminating the state and local tax deduction. The same month, House Speaker Paul Ryan canceled plans to attend a fundraiser for Zeldin after Zeldin voted against the House version of the bill. In December, Zeldin called the tax bill "a geographic redistribution of wealth" that takes money from some states while providing tax relief to others. He suggested that the removal of the state tax deduction could have been implemented gradually.

Zeldin voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, passed in December 2017. He supported the corporate tax cuts in the bill but did not approve of the limit for property tax deductions, preferring a cap of $20,000 or $25,000 to the $10,000 cap in the bill.

Trump administration

On May 3, 2016, Zeldin endorsed Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. Zeldin had previously indicated that he would support whoever won the Republican nomination.

During Trump's presidency, Zeldin was a staunch Trump ally. Zeldin prominently defended Trump during his first impeachment hearings.

After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Zeldin was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the election, in which Biden defeated Trump. Zeldin endorsed Donald Trump on April 24, 2023, in a post on X (Formerly Twitter).

Veterans affairs

In February 2015, Zeldin introduced his first bill to eliminate the dollar limit for loans that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs can guarantee for a veteran. In February 2016 he proposed federal legislation to fund a three-year, $25-million nationwide veterans' peer-support program modeled on one he helped establish while in the New York State Senate.

Personal life

Zeldin was raised within a mix of Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism, the grandson of Reform and Conservative rabbis, while his wife Diana is Mormon. The couple have identical twin daughters. They live in Shirley, New York. Zeldin is a member of B'nai Israel Reform Temple in Oakdale. His grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Jacob "Jack" Zeldin, founded Farmingdale Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue. His great-uncle Isaiah Zeldin was a prominent rabbi who founded the Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles, and his great-grandfather Morris A. Zeldin cofounded the UJA-Federation of New York.

On September 18, 2021, Zeldin announced that he had been diagnosed with leukemia in November 2020 but had achieved disease remission following treatment.

Other political activism

In 2023, Zeldin launched Leadership America Needs, a PAC aimed at increasing Republican turnout among the young and voters of color.

Electoral history

See also

In Spanish: Lee Zeldin para niños

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress