FROM: Matthew Davis, VP of Federal Policy, League of Conservation Voters
TO: Interested Parties
RE: How Trump’s Nominees Measure Up Against Trump’s Dirty Agenda and P2025

On Friday night, Trump purged over a dozen inspectors general who are tasked with assessing misconduct in federal agencies. His decision to fire these inspectors general, even those he nominated to the position himself, demonstrates what he is really after– an accountability free government. This is like the bank manager firing the guards so he can rob the bank. If he actually cared about government efficiency, he would keep these independent auditors in place to ensure the agencies are acting according to their purpose. This aggressive move by Trump makes it even more necessary for the Senate to only confirm nominees who are loyal to and serving the best interests of the American people. 

On Inauguration Day, Trump set the tone for his presidency with his Day One enactment of a national “energy emergency” that by excluding clean energy made it crystal clear that his administration is all-in to pad Big Oil Billionaire profits at the expense of our air, water, lands, climate, health, pocketbooks, and jobs. Despite agency officials being charged with working for the American people, Trump’s nominees have shown staunch loyalty to him and his anti-climate agenda. Throughout their hearings, it was evident they will follow President Trump in putting polluters over people, leaving our families, communities and environment at risk. In an effort to educate senators about the records of Trump’s nominees, last week we sent letters to senators urging them to oppose both Wright and Zeldin’s nominations to lead the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. 

What Trump’s first week made clear is that he is moving quickly on his aggressive agenda, and these nominees are the people charged with enacting it. Ahead of the upcoming Senate floor votes on Trump’s cabinet nominees, and as he continues his onslaught of dangerous and harmful executive orders, here is how these nominees measure up to Trump’s dirty agenda and Project 2025. 

Unqualified agency leaders

• Despite being nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin has just a 14% environmental score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. 
• Zeldin and Wright both have little to no experience managing agencies of this magnitude. 

Billionaires backing Big Oil and Big Polluters

• The primary goal of Trump’s energy agenda and key element of Project 2025 is to prioritize oil and gas production–lining the pockets of Big Oil and Big Polluters. 
  • The confirmation of Chris Wright, former Big Oil executive, to head the Department of Energy would be a direct conflict of interest. 
  • Wright has been a staunch advocate for fossil fuels despite their devastating health and environmental impacts. With President Trump’s agenda to ‘drill, baby, drill’ it is clear that Wright will not only cosign this agenda, but also aid in blocking the development of clean energy. 
• Trump’s dirty agenda and Project 2025 call for the expansion of offshore oil and natural gas drilling on public lands and waters.
  • As head of the Department of Interior, Burgum is tasked with protecting our public lands, yet he has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to more drilling and pipelines, no matter the cost to local communities, consumers, and the environment.
  • Burgum’s prioritization of an energy policy that promotes risky drilling and oxymoronic ‘clean coal’ would be far costlier for consumers than cheaper, faster, cleaner energy solutions like wind, solar, and geothermal.
  • Big Oil will have an ally in multiple agencies, as Wright, Burgum and Bondi all have previously demonstrated an allegiance to Big Oil executives over the health and safety of communities.

Anti- climate, anti-environment and anti-science agenda

• Project 2025 seeks to shut down climate research in an effort to discredit and spread misinformation about the realities of climate change.
  • During Chris Wright’s hearing, he doubled down on previous statements calling wildfire concerns ‘just hype,’ despite nearly a hundred thousand Angelenos being evacuated on that day, and tens of thousands of homes burned to the ground.
  • During his hearing, Lee Zeldin dodged questions on the science of climate change and the clear responsibility of EPA to reduce climate pollution that is endangering communities across the country, from North Carolina to California and Florida to Alaska, further making clear that he will prioritize weakening health and safety regulations.
• Trump’s dirty energy agenda and Project 2025 both include rolling back clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, investments that are driving down energy and climate disasters’ costs. 
  • Zeldin notably voted against the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest investment in affordable clean energy and climate action ever — and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which directed billions of dollars to EPA to remove all lead drinking water pipes. 
• Project 2025 seeks to remove a portion of the Clean Air Act that supports clean air standards.
  • Zeldin also voted against improving clean air standards that save tens of thousands of lives and if confirmed he would decide whether improved clean air standards remain in force protecting our children and vulnerable community members.
• Vought is not only a co-author of Project 2025, but he also doubled down on illegally directing agencies to withhold or delay funds directed by acts of Congress, as he did previously, including for critical disaster relief to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. 
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has spouted numerous anti-science, false, racist, and health-harming conspiracy theories about health and climate-related topics. His hearing this week should expose these beliefs for what they are and disqualify him from serving as the top U.S. health and medical official. 

Anti-democracy

• Bondi repeatedly refused to disavow Trump’s many threats to weaponize law enforcement against political opponents and investigators
• Vought made it very clear in response to questions from Senators Merkley, Murray, and others that he would break the law and withhold funds for programs that Congress dictated be funded — including those that protect our environment and our health — through unconstitutional impoundment.