EPA Chief Seeks Return of $20 Billion in Climate Funding

Agency head Lee Zeldin called for the money to be returned and vowed to review ‘every penny that has gone out the door.’

Lee Zeldin, then a New York congressman nominated for EPA chief, speaks during his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 16. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the agency will try to retrieve about $20 billion granted to environmental groups before President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.

In a video posted to the social media platform X on Wednesday, Zeldin said the EPA decided to rescind the grants for climate and clean-energy projects mainly because of concerns over lack of oversight and transparency.