Trump names Lee Zeldin as head of the EPA and Stephen Miller as deputy head of the policy department

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters.

Trump said in a statement that Zeldin, who launched a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that are implemented in a way that simultaneously unleashes the power of American companies.” the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.”

Zeldin, who left Congress in 2023, was among Republicans in Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. During his time in Congress, he did not serve on committees responsible for oversight of environmental policy.

In 2016, he pushed to change the designation of about 150 square miles of federal waters in Long Island Sound to state jurisdiction over New York and Rhode Island. He wanted to open the area to fishing for striped bass, which is permitted in state waters but banned in federal territory.

Trump often pointed to Zeldin’s performance in the 2022 gubernatorial race – where the Republican did far better than expected against Gov. Kathy Hochul – as he insisted he could be competitive in his Democratic home state. Although Trump didn’t win in New York, he did far better than in previous elections, particularly in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

The announcement comes after Trump named longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, as deputy director of policy in his new administration and named Rep. Elise Stefanik as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Vice President-elect JD Vance confirmed Miller’s appointment and posted a congratulatory message on X on Monday, saying, “This is another fantastic presidential choice.” The announcement was first reported by CNN.

Miller is one of Trump’s most senior advisers, having worked for the White House in his first campaign. He was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term and played a central role in many of his policy decisions, particularly on immigration, including Trump’s move in 2018 to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program.

Miller also helped craft many of Trump’s hard-hitting speeches and was often the public face of those policies during Trump’s first term and campaign.

Since leaving the White House, Miller has served as president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers founded as a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union that challenges the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others on issues such as opinion – and religious freedom and national security.

He was also a frequent presence during Trump’s campaign this year, traveling aboard his plane and often speaking in front of Trump during pre-shows at his rallies.

Miller sparked huge cheers at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden during the final leg of the race, telling the crowd that “your redemption is at hand” after what he called “decades of abuse heaped on the good people of this nation.” referred to – their jobs are being looted and stolen and shipped to Mexico, Asia and abroad. The lives of their loved ones are being ripped away from them by illegal immigrants, criminal gangs and thugs who do not belong in this country.”

“We stand here today at a crossroads,” he continued, calling the election “a choice between betrayal and renewal, between self-destruction and redemption, between the failure of America or the triumph of America.”

Because this is not a Cabinet position, the appointment does not require Senate confirmation. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Zeke Miller in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.