NEW YORK– President-elect Donald Trump On Monday, former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin was named to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build his future administration with a loyal following.

Zeldin, a Republican who unsuccessfully attempted to become governor of New York in 2022, “will ensure fair and timely deregulatory decisions that are enacted in a way that unleashes the power of corporate America,” Trump said in a statement. Zeldin will also maintain “the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said.

Trump’s statement misidentified the name of the agency Zeldin had been chosen to lead, calling it the Environmental Protection Agency.

Zeldin, who left Congress in January 2023, was a surprising choice for the role. His public appearances, both in his own campaigns and on behalf of Trump, have often found him speaking on issues including the military, national security, anti-Semitism, US-Israeli relations, immigration and crime.

He was among the congressional Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. In Congress, he did not serve on committees overseeing environmental policy and had a lifetime score of 14% from the League of Conservation Voters during his eight years in Congress.

In the 2022 gubernatorial race, Zeldin pledged to reverse Democrats’ ban on fracking.

In an interview Monday on Fox News Channel, Zeldin, 44, said he would seek to ensure the United States is able to “continue energy dominance…bring back American jobs in the auto industry and more Again”.

He’s enthusiastic about implementing Trump’s economic agenda, Zeldin said, adding: “I think the American people are so hungry for it. That’s one of the main reasons they’re sending him back to the White House.”

In 2016, Zeldin pushed to change the designation of approximately 150 square miles of federal waters in the Long Island Sound to state jurisdiction for New York and Rhode Island. He wanted to open the area to striped bass fishing.

Zeldin said at the time that he wanted to restore local control and common sense in fisheries management. He then pushed to allow striped bass fishing as part of an amendment to a federal spending bill. Environmental groups have criticized the amendment, which they say risks causing overfishing in the region.

Trump has often highlighted Zeldin’s performance in the 2022 gubernatorial race, when the Republican did far better than expected against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Even though Trump didn’t win New York state in last week’s election, he did much better than in previous elections, particularly in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

New York Republican Chairman Ed Cox said Zeldin’s surprise appointment was “a testament to President Trump’s commitment to revitalizing the original mission of the EPA — an agency created… under President Richard Nixon to protect our country’s environment.

The announcement comes after Trump chose Stephen Miller, a longtime adviser and immigration hardliner, as his new administration’s deputy policy chief and named New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United States. United States to the United Nations.

Trump also asked Florida Rep. Mike Waltza retired National Guard officer and war veteran, will be his national security adviser, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump makes a official announcement.

Miller is one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, dating back to his first campaign for the White House. He served as a senior advisor during Trump’s first term and played a central role in many of his policy decisions, notably on immigration, including Trump’s decision to separate thousands of immigrant families as a program deterrence in 2018.

Miller also helped craft many of Trump’s radical speeches and often served as the public face of those policies during Trump’s first term and during his campaigns.

Since leaving the White House, Miller has served as president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers designed as a conservative version of American Civil Liberties Unionchallenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others on issues including freedom of speech and religion and national security.

Miller drew loud cheers at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden during the final stretch of the race, telling the crowd that “your salvation is at hand” after what he called “decades of abuse inflicted on the good people of this nation.” – their jobs were looted and stolen and shipped to Mexico, Asia and foreign countries. The lives of their loved ones have been taken from them by illegal aliens, criminal gangs and thugs who have no place in this country.”

Since this is not a Cabinet position, the appointment does not need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Regarding the environment, Zeldin said in 2016 that he disagreed with candidate Trump’s call to eliminate the EPA. He told a candidates’ forum on Long Island that he saw “the need to improve the agency,” including improving its relationship with Congress and deferring to lawmakers on some regulations, “which which is very different from advocating for its elimination.”

___ Miller and Daly reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Sisak in New York and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.