Trump Proposes Halving EPA Budget to $4.2 Billion

The Trump administration has proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's budget in half to $4.2 billion for fiscal year 2027, prompting heated congressional hearings this week over the agency's future funding and priorities.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the plan during appearances before House committees earlier this week and is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee on Wednesday. The proposal would reduce funding by about $4.6 billion, or 52 percent, from the current $8.8 billion appropriation. It seeks to eliminate support for certain state environmental programs, climate research, enforcement efforts and state-administered loans for water projects while increasing resources for expedited project permitting and responses to drinking water issues.

Zeldin highlighted achievements under his leadership, including an agreement with Mexico to reduce sewage flows into the Tijuana River and accelerated cleanup of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis area. He argued the agency can meet its statutory obligations with less funding, pointing to what he described as the largest deregulatory actions in U.S. history. These include rescinding a 2009 finding...