‘Zero Tolerance’ for Wasting Tax Dollars: Lee Zeldin Cancels $2 Billion in DEI and Environmental Justice Grants

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has canceled $2 billion worth of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and “environmental justice” grants, announcing “zero tolerance” for wasting tax dollars.

Zeldin on Monday announced he was canceling “over 400 DEI and Environmental Justice grants across 9 grant programs totaling $1.7 BILLION, bringing @EPA’s total savings to over $2 BILLION!”

He added that the fourth round of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts for the EPA has been the “biggest yet.”

In a statement Tuesday, Zeldin provided another update and made it clear that it is a “high priority” to ensure that the EPA never wastes taxpayer dollars.

“That is my commitment to President Trump, Congress and the American people, that’s why I’ve pledged to cut at least 65 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s total spending,” he said, laying out just how they are going to make that a reality.

“In 2024 EPA awarded and spent over $63 billion. In 2025 we’re going to massively reduce that to accomplish our core mission, and power the great American comeback. It actually only requires less than 35 percent of that total,” he revealed, noting that they do not want the extra money and do not need it.

“We won’t be funding left-wing, ideological pet projects like the past administration,” he said, noting that the Biden administration “spent millions of tax dollars on a museum to praise environmental justice that is the size of a one bedroom apartment just blocks from the White House.”

This, he said, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

“Working with the talented team at DOGE, I’ve now canceled over $2 billion in DEI and environmental justice grants,” he announced in the update. “$2 billion.”

“This agency spends nearly $100 million on rent every year for headquarters buildings that have remained overwhelmingly empty,” he said, adding that they will reduce their real estate footprint to save more money as well.

“We have already canceled nearly $3 million in unnecessary travel costs, terminated $1 million in media subscriptions, and our focus on right sizing staffing levels have already saved the American people $300 million annually,” Zeldin explained.

We will continue to pursue process efficiencies, improve technology, including artificial intelligence integration, reconsider grant funding, and where necessary, reduce staff,” he said, reminding the American people that the EPA is committed to “zero tolerance for wasting even a penny of your tax dollars.”

WATCH:

The news follows Zeldin beginning his stint as EPA administrator with a bang, informing employees that it is now time to return to work in person.