The U.S. economy grew by an unexpected 3% last quarter, but the Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady, drawing criticism from President Trump. The Trump administration moves to repeal a key Obama-era EPA finding, a move that would end the regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Flush with new funding, ICE launches a major recruitment campaign to hire thousands of new agents to secure the border.
It’s Thursday, July 31, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>GDP Soars, But Fed Holds Rates Steady</h2>
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Topline: The U.S. economy grew at a much faster-than-expected 3% pace last quarter, but the Federal Reserve on Wednesday opted to hold interest rates steady for the fifth consecutive meeting, defying pressure from President Trump.
On Wednesday, the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. GDP grew by 3% in the second quarter, significantly beating economists&#8217; predictions of 2.3% and marking a major turnaround from the first quarter’s contraction. The strong report, which also showed a nearly 1.5% rise in consumer spending and an increase in consumer confidence, indicates that American businesses and consumers have weathered fears over Trump’s trade reset. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett called it &#8220;one of the best GDP announcements &#8230; you could imagine because there&#8217;s blockbuster growth &#8230; and there&#8217;s also a real, real almost collapse in inflation.&#8221; 
Despite the positive economic data and low inflation, the Federal Reserve chose to hold its benchmark interest rate in the 4.25% to 4.5% range. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that while the economy is in a &#8220;solid position,&#8221; inflation is still &#8220;running somewhat above our 2 percent long run objective.&#8221; In a rare public dissent, two Fed Governors, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, voted in favor of rate cuts.
President Trump, who has been publicly pleading for a rate cut, blasted Powell’s decision. &#8220;2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! &#8216;Too Late&#8217;… MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE,&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that high rates are &#8220;hurting people from buying houses.&#8221; That claim was supported by new data showing that pending home sales fell by nearly 1% in June, hitting their lowest pace in nine months.
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<h2>Trump EPA Moves to End Climate Regulations</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has proposed repealing the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a move that would dismantle the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases and effectively end federal climate change policy.
The endangerment finding, established by the Obama administration, determined that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide endanger human health by contributing to climate change, which allowed them to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that repealing the finding &#8220;will be the largest deregulatory action in the history of America.&#8221; The administration argues that CO2 is a naturally occurring gas with no direct toxicological effects at ambient levels, unlike the pollutants the Clean Air Act was designed to address.
According to Zeldin, recent Supreme Court decisions that overturned the Chevron doctrine and limited the EPA’s authority would likely prevent a future administration from unilaterally reinstating the finding without a new act of Congress.
The move aligns with President Trump’s broader energy agenda. While in Scotland earlier this week, the president outlined a new test for energy sources: &#8220;energy should not need subsidy.&#8221; He used this to dismiss wind power, stating, &#8220;wind doesn’t work,&#8221; and vowed that the United States would not build a single additional wind turbine under his administration.
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<h2>ICE Launches Massive Recruitment Campaign</h2>
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Topline: Flush with billions in new funding from the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill,&#8221; the Department of Homeland Security has launched a major recruitment campaign to hire new ICE agents and attorneys to bolster border enforcement.
This week, DHS unveiled a new website encouraging Americans to &#8220;choose your mission&#8221; and apply for roles as a deportation officer, criminal investigator, or general attorney. The campaign slams the prior administration’s &#8220;disastrous immigration policies&#8221; and reaffirms President Trump’s commitment to law enforcement professionals. In a post on X, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called on Americans to join ICE to remove terrorists, pedophiles, and gang members from the country.
The recruitment push is funded by the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill,&#8221; which allocated over $165 billion to DHS, with $75 billion specifically earmarked for ICE on top of its existing budget. Of that sum, $30 billion will go toward hiring, training, and retaining new agents. The new funding allows ICE to offer lucrative sign-on bonuses of up to $50,000 for certain agents.
The campaign appears to be paying off. Border Czar Tom Homan said on Newsmax that recruiting offices are &#8220;swamped&#8221; and have &#8220;more people than they can handle.&#8221; The hiring push comes as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praised the &#8220;brave men and women of DHS&#8221; for their successful operations countering human trafficking and smuggling rings.

MRN 7.31.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: GDP Up, Interest Rates Steady, EPA Rolls Back Regulations & ICE Is Recruiting

Economics

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Media

Morning Wire

Politics

One of the biggest moves made in modern history in the regulatory state occurred this week. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/epa-endangerment-finding-repeal-greenhouse-gases-obama-trump-steve-koonin-67fcb2ce?mod=hp_opin_pos_1">moved to repeal</a> the 2009 so-called endangerment finding for greenhouse gas emissions.
The Clean Air Act, which was put into place in the 1970s, authorized the EPA to regulate pollutants like ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and others that might endanger public health or welfare. 
But the EPA suggested, under Barack Obama, that the Clean Air Act could be used to regulate carbon emissions, which is insane. 
The Clean Air Act was meant to stop particulate matter. It was meant to stop the breaking down of the ozone layer. It was not meant to deal with carbon, and particularly carbon dioxide, which is a natural byproduct of breathing. 
Carbon dioxide is not a danger to human beings in the environment. You may not like what it does in terms of global climate change. But the idea that the EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act is wrong. If Congress wants to give the EPA that authority, then it certainly could. But it never did. 
The Supreme Court found in 2007 that greenhouse gases could qualify as pollutants under an extraordinarily broad misreading of the law. “There is some evidence that elevated carbon dioxide concentrations and climate changes can lead to changes in aeroallergens that could increase the potential for allergenic illnesses,” the Obama 2009 endangerment finding stated. 
Now the EPA is revoking the previous policy. The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/epa-endangerment-finding-repeal-greenhouse-gases-obama-trump-steve-koonin-67fcb2ce?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAjNDB5-v2W5AWInkM3wgvwDH7QHcGNmdXIjN6_-Uu1CHb-Ilh_p391soX3w2uE%3D&amp;gaa_ts=688a5b6a&amp;gaa_sig=qeRIhaSN78lB5BrQ0s6rFUZyXLR8Enkln4V2Bv7sQbiCNXOc57C5dRowpTEBDBXQLeD75GPTigdc2QTCjcjnJA%3D%3D">wrote</a>: 
<blockquote>The Energy Department on Tuesday published a comprehensive analysis of climate science and its uncertainties by five outside scientists. One is Steven Koonin who served in the Obama Administration and is a contributor to these pages. The crucial point is that CO2 is different from the pollutants that Congress expressly authorized EPA to regulate.
Those pollutants “are subject to regulatory control because they cause local problems depending on concentrations that include nuisances (odor, visibility), damage to plants, and, at high enough exposure levels, toxicological effects in humans,&#8221; the report notes. “In contrast, CO2 is odorless, does not affect visibility and has no toxicological effects at ambient levels.”</blockquote>
In other words, higher levels of CO2 in the air from fossil fuels won’t make you sick.
You&#8217;re not going to get sick from CO2 in the air. Thus, the EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are taking this on. The Clean Air Act no longer applies in our interpretation to greenhouse gases. 
What does that mean? It means something extraordinary for the American economy. Among other things, such as a massive deregulatory environment, the alleged cost of regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act amounts to roughly $54 billion per year. If you multiply that out over the course of the last decade and a half, you&#8217;re talking about a cost in excess of $800 billion, all based on a regulatory agency radically exceeding its boundaries.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2249-winning-trump-s-epa-wrecks-the-radical-green-agenda?elementPosition=2&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told me:
<blockquote>It&#8217;s just been a huge entanglement into American life. Big brother climate regulations from the government that don’t do anything meaningful for global greenhouse gas emissions. They don&#8217;t change any health outcomes for Americans, but they massively grow the government. &#8230; So administrator Lee Zeldin, is reviewing that and saying, “Hey, we don&#8217;t believe that greenhouse gases are a significant endangerment to the American public, and they shouldn&#8217;t be regulated by the EPA.”
The EPA does not have authority to regulate them because Congress never passed such a law. &#8230; I reached out to five, prestigious climate scientists that are real scientists in my mind … and we published a long critical overview of climate science and its impact on Americans. And that was released yesterday on the DOE Website, and I highly recommend everyone to give it a read. </blockquote>
I asked him what were the biggest findings from that report that he commissioned at the Department of Energy.
“Maybe the single biggest one that everyone should be aware of is the ceaseless repeating that climate change is making storms more frequent and more severe and more dangerous. It&#8217;s just nonsense. That&#8217;s never been in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. It&#8217;s just not true. But the media and politicians and activists just repeatedly repeat it,” he replied.
“We&#8217;ve just driven up the price of energy and reduced choice to American consumers without meaningfully moving global greenhouse gas emissions at all,” he said. “And when I talk to activists or politicians about it, they&#8217;re not even that concerned about it and say it. They don&#8217;t act as if their real goal is to incrementally reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Their real goal is for the government and for them — a small number of people — to decide what&#8217;s appropriate behavior for all Americans.”
“We just need some common sense back around energy and climate change. That&#8217;s where the Trump administration is headed across the administration, not just in Zeldin and myself, but everyone in the administration. We just want Americans to have a government that follows basic common sense,” he concluded.
Exactly.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Testifies On Capitol Hill

WINNING: Trump’s EPA Wrecks The Radical Green Agenda

WINNING: Trump's EPA Wrecks The Radical Green Agenda

Ben Shapiro

Chris Wright

Climate Change

Economy

Energy

federal regulation

Lee Zeldin

Opinion

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced at a press conference Tuesday that the agency would begin rolling back Obama-era policies that have allowed the federal government to heavily regulate vehicle emissions and more.
The new rule reverses the &#8220;Endangerment Finding,&#8221; a 2009 decision that classified gases like methane and carbon dioxide as detrimental to the environment and people&#8217;s health. Based on that rule, the EPA was able to justify regulating emissions standards across all industries under the Clean Air Act.
&#8220;This has been referred to as basically driving a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion,&#8221; Zeldin <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/epa-chief-zeldin-delivers-dagger-to-the-heart-of-obamas-climate-change-agenda-on-ruthless-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a podcast appearance Monday.
The rule &#8220;Would repeal all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines, thereby reinstating consumer choice and giving Americans the ability to purchase a safe and affordable car for their family while decreasing the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver,&#8221; the EPA said in a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-proposal-rescind-obama-era-endangerment-finding-regulations-paved-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>.
Zeldin says the move will slash unnecessary spending for individual businesses and eliminate the contentious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-is-slashing-fuel-efficiency-standards-claims-it-will-make-cars-affordable-again?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Is+Slashing+Fuel+Efficiency+Standards%2C+Claims+It+Will+%E2%80%98Make+Cars+Affordable+Again%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electric Vehicle mandates</a>. He also plans on opening a line of communication for public comment on the effects of emission regulations.
&#8220;If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families,&#8221; Zeldin said.
Jeff Clark, the acting administrator of the Office of Management and Budget, similarly touted the economic benefits of this proposed rule in a Tuesday morning <a href="https://x.com/JeffClarkUS/status/1950161513949302990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>. Clark said that an estimated national savings from this decreased regulation ranges from $1.7 to $8.2 trillion from 2027 to 2055.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who appeared with Zeldin to make the announcement, praised President Trump for &#8220;returning to free and open dialogue around climate and energy policy, driving the focus back to following the data.&#8221;
&#8220;Today&#8217;s announcement is a monumental step toward returning to commonsense policies that expand access to affordable, reliable, secure energy and improve quality of life for all Americans,&#8221; Wright added.
This regulatory change will not be without legal challenge. The <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/549/497/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landmark</a> 2007 Supreme Court case, Massachusetts v. EPA, determined that the Clean Air Act sufficiently allowed for the federal government to regulate emissions if it determined that climate change or pollutants pose a harm to the American public.
Other similar <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases-by-topic/climate-change-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rulings</a> have strengthened the EPA&#8217;s hold on emission standards for vehicles and businesses. The proposal will face a lengthy review process, including public comment, before it is finalized.
Zeldin hopes to slash red tape holding back businesses by redefining what the EPA can regulate.
&#8220;With regard to the endangerment finding, they&#8217;ll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that&#8217;s the end of it. They&#8217;ll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s important to note, and they don&#8217;t, how important it is for the planet.&#8221;
Zeldin continued, saying that &#8220;We shouldn&#8217;t shy away from all of the innovation in the way that we tap into an energy supply here in the United States.&#8221;
He praised the EPA&#8217;s quick and decisive action in this move to commit to the massive deregulation.
&#8220;It&#8217;s one agency, in one year, doing more deregulation than the entire federal government across all agencies across entire presidencies when you look back in history. That&#8217;s how much of a mess it is that we inherited,&#8221; Zeldin said.

Vice President JD Vance

EPA Announces Plan To Throw Out Obama-Era Climate Restrictions

Barack Obama

Carbon Emissions

A group of Republican lawmakers asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday to look at the dangers of flushing the abortion pill into America’s drinking water, according to a letter first shared with The Daily Wire. 
Led by Rep. Josh Brecheen and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the lawmakers urged Zeldin to take steps to probe whether the byproducts of mifepristone were ending up in drinking water and negatively impacting fertility. They argued that the deadly pills were not only ending the lives of unborn children, but also contaminating drinking water, making it unsafe for all Americans. 
“We recognize that the greatest tragedy of every abortion is the murder of the innocent. But we are also concerned that activist bureaucrats overlooked real public health risks posed by mifepristone in their crusade to expand abortion access,” Brecheen told The Daily Wire. “With chemical abortion now the most common abortion method in America, the public deserves answers about how these potent hormone disruptors affect our water supply and contribute to our nation’s rising infertility rates.”
The <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Congressional-Letter-to-EPA-re-Mifepristone.pdf">letter</a> notes that there were at least 648,500 medication abortions in 2023, and that many chemicals from the pills, meant to kill an unborn child, were ending up in the water system. The lawmakers said that since mifepristone is meant to disrupt the hormones of a pregnant woman that it could have endocrine-disrupting effects for the general public when introduced into the water system. 
“If residual amounts of the drug and its metabolites persist in wastewater, prolonged exposure could potentially interfere with a person’s fertility, regardless of sex. We believe it is reckless to allow a known progesterone blocker to be flushed into America’s drinking water without knowing definitively if it impacts fertility rates,” the letter says. 
Senators Cynthia Lummis (WY), Bernie Moreno (OH), and Jim Banks (IN) also signed on to the letter, as did 20 other House Republicans. 
They asked Zeldin if the EPA believed mifepristone should be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, if the EPA had considered monitoring or regulating mifepristone, and if the agency had conducted any reviews of the abortion pill&#8217;s impact on drinking water.
“Federal regulators are rightfully eager to study the health effects of many chemicals in our water and septic systems, but they haven’t examined the environmental and public health risks of chemical abortion drugs like mifepristone in those same systems,” Lankford said. “Scientific research on the health effects of water sources where there are trace amounts of a chemical that is designed to end the life of a child in the womb should not be controversial.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-a-leftist-network-of-websites-floods-red-states-with-abortion-pills-with-no-consequences-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: How A Leftist Network Of Websites Floods Red States With Abortion Pills With No Consequences</a>
The action was also supported by Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins, who said that the Biden administration recklessly expanded the distribution of the abortion pill. 
“You don’t have to be pro-life to be concerned about endocrine disrupters in our waterways, potentially impacting our water safety, harming endangered species and our food supply, and perhaps even multiplying the rate of infertility,” she said. 
Medication abortion has quickly become the most common form of abortion, making up over 60% of all abortions, according to some estimates. The real percentage may be even higher because of the amount of illegal pills that are shipped into red states that have technically prohibited all abortions.
The Trump administration, which has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/serious-mistake-trump-admin-moves-to-dismiss-challenge-to-mail-order-abortion-pills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulled some punches</a> against the abortion pill, took steps earlier this month to reevaluate the pill. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) that he would conduct a review of mifepristone and its widespread use.

Vice President JD Vance Tours Nucor Steel Berkeley In South Carolina

EXCLUSIVE: Abortion Pills Could Be Polluting Drinking Water. Lawmakers Want Answers.

Abortion Drug

Pro-Life Movement

President Donald Trump revoked California&#8217;s electric vehicle mandates, which have been adopted by nearly a dozen other states nationwide.
The president signed three congressional resolutions on Thursday, putting an end to California&#8217;s ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The California mandate was adopted by 11 other states, representing one-third of the auto market in the United States.
&#8220;We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,&#8221; Trump said at the White House. &#8220;They said it couldn&#8217;t be done, but boy, it had us tied up in knots for years. And they passed these crazy rules in California &#8230; the automakers didn&#8217;t know what to do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate ONCE AND FOR ALL.&quot; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/zOVvF5DKyF">pic.twitter.com/zOVvF5DKyF</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1933185013962404156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The move, made possible by Trump signing resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, was celebrated by a group representing major automakers, including GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Hyundai, and Volkswagen, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sign-resolutions-nixing-californias-ev-rules-sources-2025-06-10/">reported</a>.
&#8220;The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable,&#8221; said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella. &#8220;In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.&#8221;
U.S. automaker GM added in a statement, “We appreciate the actions taken by President Trump to sign H.J. Res. 88 into law and help align emissions standards with today’s market realities. We have long advocated for one national standard that will allow us to stay competitive, continue to invest in U.S. innovation, and offer customer choice across the broadest lineup of gas-powered and electric vehicles.”
One of the resolutions signed by Trump repeals a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waiver that was granted under the Biden administration and greenlit California&#8217;s mandate for at least 80% of new vehicles to be electric by 2035, according to Reuters. Trump will sign another resolution approved by the Republican-controlled Congress to rescind a 2023 EPA approval for California to require automakers to produce more zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. The third resolution eliminates the state&#8217;s low-nitrogen oxide regulation targeting heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles.
Republicans and auto companies have pushed for the EV regulations to be addressed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-gears-up-stop-california-2035-gas-vehicle-sales-ban">said</a> last month that the EPA&#8217;s waivers allowed California “to dictate emissions standards for the whole country – effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate.” In May, the GOP-led House voted to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval for the EV mandate with the support of 35 Democrats. The Congressional Review Act allowed the Senate to bypass a filibuster to undo the EV regulations, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-undo-biden-era-waiver-california-enabling-gas-car-ban">reported</a>.
In their vote, Senate Republicans were <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1925590423944257939">joined</a> by Michigan Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who said she has &#8220;a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.”
Trump signaled his support for ending California&#8217;s EV mandate while on the 2024 campaign trail.
“When I’m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/1925624592481026347">said</a> his state would sue over Trump&#8217;s move &#8220;to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good-paying jobs on the line—but California won’t back down,&#8221; Bonta added.

Donald Trump

Trump Slashes California’s ‘Crazy’ Far-Reaching EV Mandates

California

electric vehicles

Republicans

Trump Administration

Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), got into heated exchanges with Senate Democrats on Wednesday over his efforts to save taxpayer dollars at the agency.
Zeldin testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday and clashed with Democrats on the committee over his efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse.
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse argued with Zeldin about cuts to the agency. Whitehouse along with other Democratic senators accused the administrator of lying about cuts constituting waste, fraud, or abuse.
A frustrated Zeldin eventually told the senator that the Trump administration is “not going to waste dollars just because you insist on EPA lighting taxpayer dollars on fire.”
“The American taxpayers, they put President Trump in office because of people like you. They have Republicans in charge of the House and Senate because of people like you, because you don&#8217;t care about 99% of this story,” Zeldin said. “You don&#8217;t want me to go through the list of all the evidence of waste and abuse. You don’t care about conflicts of interest. You don’t care about unqualified recipients.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nothing exposes the hypocrisy of Congressional Dems like <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenWhitehouse</a> more than the cold hard truth about why I terminated their Green Slush Fund Scam and how I have unapologetically implemented a ZERO tolerance policy for ANY waste and abuse. <a href="https://t.co/1yQNlWLU7m">pic.twitter.com/1yQNlWLU7m</a>
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin/status/1925234661409628461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts repeatedly asked Zeldin to provide a list of “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but interrupted the administrator before he could run through a list of what his staff had found.
“Are you willing to admit here today, Mr. Administrator, that you don&#8217;t have any evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse?” Markey asked.
Zeldin repeatedly said he would be “happy to go through the list.” But Zeldin failed to get more than a few words into his list of waste, fraud, and abuse before the Massachusetts Democrat was “reclaiming” time and talking over the administrator.
“You want to declare there&#8217;s no evidence, but you don&#8217;t want me to go through the list,” Zeldin said.
Markey’s time expired before Zeldin could meaningfully discuss the cuts he has made to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Never anything but malarkey from the mouth of Ed Markey. The American public is DONE with this double talk, dishonest hackery from these Congressional Democrats,” Zeldin posted on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Never anything but malarkey from the mouth of Ed Markey.
The American public is DONE with this double talk, dishonest hackery from these Congressional Democrats. <a href="https://t.co/sdo0gh8c4K">pic.twitter.com/sdo0gh8c4K</a>
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin/status/1925264793654505800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In a back-and-forth with California Sen. Adam Schiff, Zeldin took issue with the senator’s characterization of his leadership at the EPA and called Schiff “an aspiring fiction writer.”
“With that wind-up, by the way, I understand you&#8217;re an aspiring fiction writer. I see why,” said Zeldin.
Schiff responded: “Well, I understand your view that you can cut half of the agency and it won&#8217;t affect people&#8217;s health or their water or their air. That, to me, is a big fiction, Mr. Zeldin.”
Schiff’s time expired as he continued to lecture Zeldin. The agency administrator shot back at Schiff later on X: “Aspiring fiction writer @SenAdamSchiff got sad today that I called out a bunch more of his lies. The next time he says something truthful will be the first.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Aspiring fiction writer <a href="https://twitter.com/SenAdamSchiff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenAdamSchiff</a> got sad today that I called out a bunch more of his lies. The next time he says something truthful will be the first. 
Regardless, the Trump EPA will tirelessly work on issues affecting his constituents like hazardous waste removal in LA… <a href="https://t.co/WKRaWOnPuC">pic.twitter.com/WKRaWOnPuC</a>
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin/status/1925247823475363893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Zeldin Torches Democrats Over EPA Reforms: ‘You Don’t Care About 99% Of This Story’

Adam Schiff

Congress

Ed Markey

Sheldon Whitehouse

The Trump administration is cracking down on blue state abuses of federal environmental legislation that impedes the White House&#8217;s push for American energy dominance.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to issue a memo on Thursday clarifying the authority of state and tribal governments under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. In recent years, states like New York and Washington have invoked that section to kill major fossil fuel projects, despite those states’ high energy prices.
“Under the last Administration, certain states attempted to leverage the Clean Water Act to undercut projects that would boost national and regional development and unleash American energy resources,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “With this memorandum, EPA is reinforcing the limits on Clean Water Act section 401 certification to support energy, critical mineral, and infrastructure projects that are key to economic growth and Power the Great American Comeback.”
Under Section 401, state and tribal governments may <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401/overview-cwa-section-401-certification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">block</a> “any activity that may result in any discharge into waters of the United States,” according to the EPA’s website. The law was designed to give local officials authority to step in if federally-permitted activities threatened water quality.
In 2020, the Trump EPA restricted the use of Section 401 authority. The move roiled blue states, and a coalition of 19 attorneys general joined together to <a href="https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-healey-sues-trump-administration-over-illegal-attack-on-clean-water-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sue</a> the administration over the rule change. The Biden administration <a href="https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/epa-reverses-another-trump-administration-rule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversed</a> the Trump rules in 2022.
Now, the Trump administration is reinstating its 2020 guidance in an effort to stop state-level Democrats from using the law to block key fossil fuel projects, such as pipelines and coal shipping terminals.
According to the Trump administration, Democrats have expanded use of the rule beyond its statutory role. In 2017, several states <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2018/08/16/coal-crow-tribe-washington-regulations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocked</a> construction of a series of massive coal export terminals, the Millennium Bulk Terminals, in southwestern Washington.
In a <a href="https://ecology.wa.gov/getattachment/8349469b-a94f-492b-acca-d8277e1ad237/MBTL-Denial.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> denying the project approval, Washington State officials said they lacked “reasonable assurance” under Section 401 that mitigation efforts would offset damage done to wetlands and waterways. State officials also cited the State Environmental Policy Act to claim “diesel emissions” from trains, “adverse impacts to vehicle traffic,” and “[t]rain-related noise levels” were among other reasons why the project should be killed.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who is currently running for mayor of New York City, blocked multiple pipeline projects during his tenure using Section 401. Cuomo blocked the Northern Access Pipeline in 2017, the Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline in 2018, and the Constitution Pipeline in 2019.
While natural gas pipeline projects were being blocked, New York has <a href="https://www.naturalgasintel.com/news/thousands-awaiting-natural-gas-service-in-new-york-amid-squeezed-supplies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered</a> under threats of shortages because of squeezed pipeline capacity. In January, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. <a href="https://www.nerc.com/news/Pages/Statement-on-NPCC-Northeast-GasElectric-System-Study.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> New York’s energy infrastructure is under “severe threats to reliability” because of its lack of extra pipeline capacity in the event of severe weather.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) continued Cuomo’s stance against natural gas pipelines, blocking the Northern Access Pipeline again in 2024 after it had received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. While the state’s top Democrats have continued to kill pipeline projects, New York energy prices have remained some of the <a href="https://www.electricchoice.com/electricity-prices-by-state/#:~:text=The%20average%20electric%20rate%20across,to%2042.34%20cents%20per%20kWh." target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest</a> in the country.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump EPA Cracks Down On Blue State Threats To American Energy Dominance

This week, the Republican-controlled Senate aims to dismantle the former Biden administration&#8217;s move giving California room to implement a green agenda for cars across the country, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced on Tuesday.
During <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4856qr2PN0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks</a> on the Senate floor, Thune said the upper chamber will take up Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to overturn Clean Air Act preemption waivers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted to California, which <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/18/epa-california-electric-vehicles-waiver" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowed</a> it to proceed with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The waivers allowed California &#8220;to dictate emissions standards for the whole country – effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate,&#8221; said Thune, who called the state&#8217;s rules an &#8220;improper expansion of a limited Clean Air Act authority and would endanger consumers, our economy, and our nation’s energy supply.&#8221;
A key conflict is whether the CRA, which allows bypassing a filibuster to undo regulations, applies to the waivers. Both the Senate <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5233436-senate-parliamentarian-says-lawmakers-cant-overturn-california-car-rules-but-republicans-may-try-anyway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parliamentarian</a> and Government Accountability Office (<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/b-337179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GAO</a>) have assessed the waivers are not rules that qualify.
But the Senate is poised to press forward, as Thune contended the EPA submitted the waivers as rules. He also noted the GOP-led House already <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025114?Date=05%2F01%2F2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval with the support of 35 Democrats, and did so &#8220;without objection from the House parliamentarian.&#8221;
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), the top Democrat for the Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, declared in a <a href="https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-places-holds-on-epa-nominees-until-republicans-cease-efforts-to-abuse-the-cra-to-revoke-californias-clean-air-act-waivers/#:~:text=But%20if%20my%20Republican%20colleagues,the%20CRA%2C%E2%80%9D%20added%20Senator%20Padilla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that he was placing a hold on EPA nominees until Republicans back off and warned of future consequences if the GOP refuses to relent.
“None of these actions are rules, which is why they’ve never been submitted to Congress as rules,&#8221; Padilla said. &#8220;But if my Republican colleagues open this door and overturn the Parliamentarian’s wise safeguards on this type of abuse, there would be no practical limit, and the Senate could be forced to vote repeatedly on such matters that are clearly not ‘rules’ notwithstanding the plain language of the CRA.&#8221;
Thune suggested there will soon be repercussions for GAO, which <a href="https://www.gao.gov/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bills</a> itself as being an independent and non-partisan agency that &#8220;works for&#8221; Congress, because of the stance it took on the CRA in the California waiver debate.
&#8220;It is true that we are facing something of a novel situation,&#8221; Thune said. &#8220;Because for the first time ever, the Government Accountability Office has decided to insert itself into the process and affirmatively declare that an agency rule submitted to Congress as a rule is not a rule. It’s an extraordinary deviation from precedent for an agency that should be defending Congress’ power instead of constraining it.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;And frankly &#8230; I think we need to act to ensure that this intrusion into the Congressional Review Act process doesn’t become a habit, and that the Senate doesn’t end up transferring its decision-making power on CRA resolutions to the Government Accountability Office. That’s why this week I intend to bring the question of GAO’s unprecedented interference to the floor.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Thune: Senate to Overturn California Waiver Rules" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w4856qr2PN0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Senate Majority Leader John Thune

Senate Gears Up To Stop California’s 2035 Gas Vehicle Sales Ban

Cars

Electric cars

Environment

John Thune

U.S. Senate

The Environmental Protection Agency will save $300 million per year through a massive reorganization by completely slashing unnecessary climate programs and reducing staffing levels to levels not seen since the Reagan administration, the agency announced Friday.
Administrator Lee Zeldin said the streamlined reorganization is oriented towards focusing on the agency&#8217;s &#8220;core mission,&#8221; which he defines as &#8220;protecting human health and the environment.&#8221; Rather than focusing on environmental justice, it will focus on its statutory responsibilities such as air quality and safety of the water supply.
“With these organizational improvements, we recommit to fulfilling all of our statutory obligations and exceptionally delivering on EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,&#8221; said Zeldin. &#8220;This reorganization will bring much needed efficiencies to incorporate science into our rule makings and sharply focus our work on providing the cleanest air, land, and water for our communities. It will also save at least $300 million annually for the American people.&#8221;
A source familiar with the restructuring told The Daily Wire that the reorganization could lead to future cuts amounting to around 10% of the current workforce. In the ongoing round of the Deferred Resignation Program, better known as the &#8220;fork in the road&#8221; option for federal employees to leave government, there has been significant interest.
The agency has already received about 1,300 applications to leave, a source told The Daily Wire. The first &#8220;fork in the road&#8221; offer months ago yielded around 545 early resignations.
With the ongoing restructuring, more employees could soon be taking up the offer to leave. Over 8,300 EPA employees hopped on a briefing this week to learn about the agency&#8217;s ongoing Deferred Resignation Program and the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority.
<div id="attachment_915329" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-915329" class="size-full wp-image-915329" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1280" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-300x150.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-768x384.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-02-May-2025-02-02-PM-9910-2048x1024.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Side by side of current and proposed EPA Administrator Office restructuring.</div>
The changes will primarily impact the Office of the Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and Office of Water as the agency will seek to focus on its core statutory duties. Specifically, climate and atmospheric focused programs inside the Office of Air and Radiation are expected to be on the chopping block.
In some cases, the agency will also be incorporating more modern issues into the departments. For example, the Office of Water will now have more of a focus on cybersecurity to protect the water supply and water reuse issues. The agency will also be looking to form the Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation.
Earlier this year, the EPA ended the Biden administration&#8217;s diversity, equity, and inclusion office and its Office of Environmental Justice. With this move, the agency cut 280 employees and moved another 175 to perform tasks for other offices.

EPA To Slash Climate Programs, Promises Return To Reagan-Level Staffing

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

It&#8217;s Earth Day, and the White House is trying to fix a toxic and smelly environmental issue on the nation&#8217;s southern border.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the Trump administration is urging the Mexican government to do more to stop sewage from flowing across the border and into the United States. She highlighted President Donald Trump&#8217;s desire to &#8220;do what&#8217;s right&#8221; for the environment.
During Tuesday&#8217;s press briefing, Leavitt responded to a question from Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan and discussed the work of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, who is in San Diego pushing for the Mexican government to stop the flow of sewage into the United States.
&#8220;Administrator Zeldin met with his Mexican counterpart to discuss steps Mexico needs to take to ensure the water entering the United States is clean and safe, and he&#8217;s holding a press conference in San Diego today with elected officials and local stakeholders on the Tijuana River sewage crisis,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;I would also add from the president himself, he has always maintained he wants America to have the cleanest air and the cleanest water, and we want to do what&#8217;s right for our environment and for our earth.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
What does the White House have planned for Earth Day? <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a>:
&quot;[President Trump] has always maintained he wants America to have the cleanest air and the cleanest water, and we want to do what&#39;s right for our environment and for our earth.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nrNinIXu8A">pic.twitter.com/nrNinIXu8A</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1914738540858265921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Raw sewage from Mexico has traveled into the United States through the Tijuana River Watershed &#8220;for decades,&#8221; according to Zeldin, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/21/us-news/epas-zeldin-demands-end-to-mexican-sewage-flooding-across-border/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The issue has raised concerns about &#8220;beach closures, degradation of the Tijuana River Valley, and concerns of public health, air quality,&#8221; Zeldin added. Trump&#8217;s EPA administrator met with Mexican Environmental Secretary Alicia Bárcena to discuss the crisis.
Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/work-starts-to-stop-sewage-flows-into-california-from-mexico/2020/09/02/b8675f3e-ed86-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed</a> to resolve the Tijuana sewage issue during his first administration, completing a $10.6 million project to prevent millions of gallons of sewage from entering the Tijuana River. Zeldin said on Monday that the crisis &#8220;needs to end.&#8221;
“[T]here’s nowhere more important for me to be tomorrow than on the border in California dealing with this very important public health and environmental crisis,” he added.

Karoline Leavitt

Leavitt Highlights Big Environmental Issue For Trump Admin On Earth Day

Earth Day

Mexico

Social Issues

Southern Border

National security officials are grilled on Capitol Hill amid dueling accusations over a military strike text chain. Big food companies are fighting to keep soda and snacks on the subsidized menu. And, EPA Chief Lee Zeldin is taking swift action to dismantle cumbersome environmental regulations.
It’s Wednesday, March 26th, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/signal-snafu-soda-wars-3-26-25/id1576594336?i=1000700886698" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>When The Group Chat Leaks…</h2>
<div id="attachment_897845" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897845" class="size-large wp-image-897845" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-Hearing-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Top national security officials were on Capitol Hill yesterday, where lawmakers grilled them on how a journalist was added to a group chat about military operations.
Damage Control… Around two weeks ago, a user named “Michael Waltz” added Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat where Trump national security officials discussed upcoming strikes on Houthi terrorists. The fallout from that compromised series of communiques, in Washington and in the national press, has been substantial.
Several senior intelligence directors with the Trump administration were already set to testify before the Senate on Tuesday – the hearing naturally became all about the signal chat with Democrats accusing Trump officials of exposing classified information, and the officials defending the administration. CIA Director John Ratcliffe downplayed the severity of the leak in a heated exchange with Senator Jon Ossof (D-GA):
<blockquote>OSSOFF: Director Ratcliffe, this was a huge mistake, correct?
RATCLIFFE: No.
OSSOFF: A national political reporter was made privy to sensitive information about imminent military operations against a foreign terrorist organization, and that wasn’t a huge mistake? This is an embarrassment. This is utterly unprofessional.</blockquote>
Ratcliffe insisted that there was nothing inherently wrong with national security officials discussing military plans on Signal – it was approved under the Biden administration. “One of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director was Signal was loaded onto my computer at the CIA – as it is for most CIA officers,” Radcliffe testified before Congress. “That is a practice that preceded the current administration to the Biden administration.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, also a member of the chat, told Virginia Senator Mark Warner that “there was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat.” 
Trump hasn’t said much about the saga yet, but it seems like he’s standing by Waltz and the entire team. The president told NBC yesterday that Waltz “has learned a lesson, and he&#8217;s a good man.&#8221; Trump added that he’s not concerned about the story, saying it is “the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one.”
<h2>Cutting Fat From The Budget</h2>
<div id="attachment_897849" style="width: 795px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897849" class="size-large wp-image-897849" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-785x576.jpg" alt="" width="785" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-785x576.jpg 785w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-300x220.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-768x563.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-1536x1126.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Junk-Food-2048x1502.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 785px) 100vw, 785px" />(Photo by LauriPatterson by Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Food lobbyists are fighting tooth and nail to stop the Trump administration from limiting taxpayer subsidies for junk food. 
The Trump administration has made a strong push to restrict soda, candy, and other unhealthy options from purchases being made with SNAP, commonly called food stamps. Proponents say this is necessary in light of America’s obesity and overall health crisis, and chiefly, about how taxpayer money is spent. Federally, these changes have been discussed openly by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who plays a key role in administering these benefits.
 There are also numerous bills in the House seeking to restrict junk food and soda from SNAP.
The movement has picked up steam on the state level: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has <a href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/governor-sanders-calls-for-reforms-to-the-snap-program/">asked</a> the feds to allow her state to restrict SNAP. Lawmakers have made similar moves in Idaho, Kansas, Arizona, Indiana, Texas, and Wyoming, to name a few. In related news, West Virginia has just passed a bill that bans a number of food dyes often found in junk food and sugary drinks – that will affect the soda industry, too, which ran a <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/dietnutrition/114739">strong opposition campaign</a> to that bill. Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed that bill on Monday; it will go into effect in 2028, though it will affect school food programs this summer. 
The food industry is working across numerous fronts to protect the profits of these products. About 1 in 8 Americans receive SNAP benefits currently, with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-heart-association-retracts-food-stamp-soda-opposition">soda</a> as the most frequently purchased item. About 10% of all SNAP spending goes toward soda and sugary drinks, and another 10% toward junk food. American taxpayers reportedly subsidize roughly <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/soft-drinks-snap-benefits-congress-3756667?utm_source=chatgpt.com">$4 billion</a> worth of soda products through SNAP.
Buttering Trump Up: The American Beverage Association, or ABA, which represents all of those big soda companies, gave <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/rfk-jr-soda-snap-food-stamps-coke-pepsi-9bd9a872">money</a> to Trump’s inauguration, as they have for past presidents. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper have directly engaged with administration officials – talking up their commitment to “zero-sugar” options and clear product labeling. Coca-Cola also famously met with Trump in January to gift him a personalized bottle of Diet Coke. 
Walmart has also engaged in lobbying efforts to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-heart-association-retracts-food-stamp-soda-opposition">stop</a> these restrictions, and, believe it or not, there was also a lobbyist from the American Heart Association (AHA) who advocated against these restrictions. As was first reported by The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-heart-association-retracts-food-stamp-soda-opposition">AHA</a> has since claimed that the lobbyist &#8220;miscommunicated&#8221; the group&#8217;s position. 
A poll commissioned by the ABA found that <a href="https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/republicans-divided-over-banning-purchase-soft-drinks-food-stamps?utm_source=chatgpt.com">58</a>% of 2024 Trump voters believe food stamps should be allowed to purchase soda. Overall, 64% of those polled agreed. But, again, this was conducted on behalf of the ABA, and it only polled about 800 people. It’s also noteworthy that a significant number of Americans who voted for Trump receive SNAP benefits – likely tens of millions of Americans. 
Trump himself has not said anything for or against restricting soda and other junk food from SNAP, though he has empowered RFK to enact his “MAHA” agenda.
<h2>EPA Cuts Spending and Regulation</h2>
<div id="attachment_897851" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897851" class="size-large wp-image-897851" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Zeldin-and-Trump-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The second Trump administration could oversee one of the largest shifts in environmental policy in over a decade. EPA chief Lee Zeldin is leading the transition with an aggressive effort to cut extensive climate regulations.
The Trump administration, and Zeldin in particular, are aggressively attacking Democratic climate policies and green programs. It’s all part of President Trump’s stated goal of energy dominance.
“I am here to fight for part of that Trump mandate earned [on] November 5th,” Zeldin <a href="https://x.com/epaleezeldin/status/1899998341829730445">told</a> Fox&#8217;s Laura Ingram earlier this month. “[There are] people who cannot afford to be able to heat their home, to purchase a car, small businesses that are struggling to operate. People have been put out of work, and it&#8217;s going to end.”
Zeldin wants to reform and repeal dozens of the most burdensome climate rules. That includes, for example, Biden’s electric vehicle mandate that aims to force a radical change to the automobile market with half of new cars sold being all electric by 2032. Zeldin’s EPA has also set its sights on Obama’s 2009 endangerment finding – that rule essentially set the basis for the EPA to police greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and spawned a massive amount of environmental regulation.
Zeldin has also cut and reclaimed funds from climate programs. In a cabinet meeting on Monday, he said that the EPA had cut “over $22 billion worth of contracts,” which had previously been going to.
Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright has worked alongside the EPA to greenlight a lot of oil and gas projects. And Wright has also been cutting regulations on energy producers – so much so that oil and gas executives are reneging on green investment pledges and pausing the transition to green energy that Democrats have wanted.
 There was also a major court case punishing Greenpeace for its extreme protest strategies. Last week, it was found liable in a nearly $700 million judgment for helping violent protesters destroy and vandalize property in their attempts to sabotage the Dakota Access Pipeline. The trial revealed that Greenpeace USA organizers had trained protesters and even purchased supplies the protesters used to commit illegal acts.

Intelligence Directors Testify At Senate Hearing On Worldwide Threats

Morning Brief: Signal Chat Fallout, Cutting Soda From SNAP, & EPA Deregulation

John Ratcliffe

Tulsi Gabbard

Over the past week or so, the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maha-update-here-are-rfks-latest-moves-on-big-food-and-big-pharma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Make America Healthy Again</a>&#8221; movement has impacted federal and state policy regarding the fluoridation of public water, food oversight, and vaccination priorities.
Utah, for example, will become the first state in the nation to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. 
Currently, only two counties in the state add the chemical to their water supply, but nearly half of all state residents live in those counties. The legislation is sponsored by Republican Rep. Stephanie Gricius, who argues that it’s expensive to add fluoride, and nixing this addition is about promoting “individual choice.&#8221; The bill notably moves to allow pharmacists to prescribe fluoride tablets to those who need the mineral. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox has said he will sign the bill into law, which would take effect on May 7. 
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the figurehead of the MAHA movement, has routinely spoken out against the practice of fluoridation. Just before the election, he posted on X that on Day One of Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency, he would advise that all U.S​. water systems remove fluoride from public water. He’s also called fluoride an “industrial waste” and says it’s associated with numerous negative effects, like arthritis, IQ loss, and thyroid disease. 
RFK Jr. has highlighted other studies and a ruling from an Obama-appointed federal judge back in October that said fluoride in drinking water presents an “unreasonable risk” and ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond. 
However, it’s not just Kennedy and MAHA figures debating fluoridation practices. Dr. Leana Wen, for example, has said that such a policy must be re-evaluated. Wen is notably the former president of the Planned Parenthood abortion mill and strongly opposed Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary, calling him a &#8220;conspiracy theorist.&#8221; 
&#8220;Yes, it is true that, historically, fluoridating public water saved a lot of teeth, that it was good for oral health, but times have changed and the incremental benefit is not nearly as much as it was before the widespread availability of fluoridated toothpaste,&#8221; Wen recently <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/renewed-focus-health-claims-fluoridated-water-115936425?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC News. 
&#8220;There are still about three million Americans living in areas where the fluoride level is above 1.5 mg/L, where harm has been associated,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I think there’s a good question about what should the level be? Maybe the EPA’s maximum level should be lowered. Maybe people living in areas with high fluoride concentration should be told that that’s the case. Maybe certain individuals who are particularly vulnerable, like pregnant women and young children, should be told to use fluoride water filters.&#8221;
&#8220;I definitely think that more studies are needed,&#8221; Wen added. &#8220;But in the meantime &#8230; it would not be unreasonable to give people a choice, that people in those areas might want to know if that&#8217;s the case.” 
As noted by Wen, proponents of water fluoridation <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/inside-americas-fluoride-rebellion-ab9aa524">argue</a> that it&#8217;s safe in drinking water at low levels and is important for oral health, which could impact one&#8217;s overall health. They also say that it’s particularly helpful for lower-income communities, arguing that toothpaste and mouthwash with fluoride might not be as affordable or accessible for everyone. 
A number of other states and communities have been battling out the question of fluoridation since RFK Jr.&#8217;s rise in the last election. And though Utah will be the first state to ban fluoridation, Hawaii also does not add fluoride to its water supply, though there is no ban in place.
On vaccine protocol, the National Institutes of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/10/vaccines-nih-rfk-research-canceled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health</a> will stop spending money to find out why Americans are hesitant to take vaccines. The NIH, which is part of HHS, is terminating or scaling back more than 40 related grants and has said that such spending no longer aligns with NIH priorities. 
Additionally, as previously reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kennedys-cdc-to-reportedly-study-potential-link-between-vaccines-and-autism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also studying whether there is any link between vaccinations and the rise in autism. A CDC study from 2020 found that one in 36 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with autism.
On food, RFK Jr. has directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revise a rule that allows companies to “self-affirm” the safety of food ingredients. Under the revision, manufacturers will have to publicly submit safety data for new ingredients. HHS says such enhanced oversight will “bring transparency to American consumers.” 
Also, on Monday, Kennedy met with executives from major food companies, including PepsiCo, General Mills, and Kellogg&#8217;s, and urged them to eliminate certain dyes from their recipes. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-the-make-america-healthy-again-commission-is-already-impacting-the-food-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> has previously covered the other ways the MAHA movement has impacted the food industry from the very start of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maha-update-here-are-rfks-latest-moves-on-big-food-and-big-pharma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘MAHA’ Update: Here Are RFK’s Latest Moves On Big Food And Big Pharma</a>

Celebrity Sightings In New York City – July 21, 2023

MAHA’s Latest Wins On Fluoride, Food, And Vaccines

'Make America Healthy Again' Movement's Latest Wins On Fluoride, Food, And Vaccines

Department of Health and Human Services

Health

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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