Hi, this is EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. It is a high priority for me to ensure EPA never wastes any of your hard-earned tax dollars. That is my commitment to President Trump, Congress, and the American people. That's why I've pledged to cut at least 65% of the Environmental Protection Agency's total spending. Here's how we're going to do it.
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% of that total. We don't want the extra money, and we don't need it.
We won't be funding left-wing ideological pet projects like the past administration. For example, they 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 and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to operate.
And that museum was designed with major gaps in EPA history, namely between 2016 to January 2021. Working with the talented team at DOGE, I've now canceled over $2 billion in DEI and environmental justice grants. $2 billion. This agency spends nearly $100 million on rent every year for headquarters buildings that have remained overwhelmingly empty.
We will pursue efficiencies by reducing our real estate footprint. 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. We will continue to pursue process efficiencies, improve technology including artificial intelligence integration, reconsider grant funding, and where necessary, reduce staff. The American people can rest assured knowing that with our EPA team, there will be zero tolerance for wasting even a penny of your tax dollars. Our efforts will be efficiently and narrowly focused on our core statutory mission and powering the great American comeback.
I will keep you updated on our progress every step of the way.
