Trump’s EPA Deputy Pick Walks Back Pledge to Reduce Budget (1)

The White House’s pick to become the EPA’s number two official said on Wednesday that earlier pledges to slash the agency’s budget only apply to its 2024 expenditure, which included large amounts of one-time funding under the Biden-era climate law.

That clarification from David Fotouhi, the Trump administration’s nominee to be the Environmental Protection Agency’s deputy administrator, appeared to walk back earlier comments from President Donald Trump, who said in late February that the EPA plans to reduce its staff by 65%. Lee Zeldin, the EPA’s head, later said the 65% figure refers to the agency’s budget.

Fotouhi assured ...