A Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing got heated when EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin got into a confrontation with California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. The spat, which featured some intense verbal sparring, was over the cancellation of hundreds of agency grants that were awarded during the Biden administration.
The Department of Government Efficiency, headed up by billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has been taking the proverbial machete to a significant amount of unnecessary spending. Efforts made thus far have saved taxpayers a staggering amount of money. However, the cuts to certain pet projects of various liberals in office have ruffled feathers.
Zeldin, a former congressman and big fan of President Donald Trump, leveled accusations against Schiff of crafting a “fictional narrative” concerning the grant cancellations. It was this comment that sparked the exchange.
During the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, pushed back on Zeldin’s claim that each grant was canceled after being individually reviewed, citing a series of sworn court filings that say otherwise. Zeldin was not to be easily deterred.
“I conducted an individual review of everything and that concept doesn’t work for you,” the EPA head fired back. He then fired a shot of his own, accusing Democrats of not caring about fiscal responsibility, asserting, “You don’t care about wasting money, but the Trump administration does, Senator.”
The heat got turned up when Zeldin addressed Schiff directly, referring to him as an “aspiring fiction writer.” The comment was in reference to Schiff’s history of making unsubstantiated claims, particularly during President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings.
Looking over Schiff’s career, this criticism is not new. Previous statements made by Zeldin include similar accusations of Schiff “cherry-picking leaks, withholding key facts, and misstating evidence,” during the impeachment inquiries into Trump. He also slammed Schiff for using “parody” during congressional proceedings. Zeldin said such tactics undermine the seriousness of legislative oversight.
The exchange demonstrates Zeldin is dedicated to responsible governance and to challenging what he and other Republicans perceive as Democratic overreach. Verbal lashings like the one Schiff received are meant to remind the left that there is serious opposition against their agenda and ideology. There will be no easy way forward for the platform they are currently pushing.
Schiff wasn’t the only senator who caught the wrath of Zeldin. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey also got into a shouting match with him later in the hearing.
