Today, I am calling on Lee Zeldin to go. It is bad enough that he has weaponized the EPA to do the bidding of the giant fossil fuel and chemical corporations that donated to Trump’s campaign... For kids struggling with asthma, for moms worried about toxic chemicals in their food, for young people worried about their future under climate change, and for all Americans who deserve a safe and healthy environment: Lee Zeldin must go.
Call for a change in leadership at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and removal or resignation of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Occurrences
Senior Senate Democrats are calling for the ouster of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin over accusations that he lied to Congress about climate grant cancellations. Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) took to the floor before they leaving for recess to present evidence they say should prompt Zeldin’s resignation.
More than 160 environmental and public health organizations on Tuesday called for Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, to resign or be fired.
Evidence
In a 'Time to Wake Up' speech on the Senate Floor, Senator Whitehouse detailed EPA Administrator Zeldin's lies to Congress and the American people as he serves fossil fuel polluters. Whitehouse was joined on the Senate floor by Senator Markey.
More than 160 environmental and public health organizations on Tuesday called for Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, to resign or be fired.
Senior Senate Democrats are calling for the ouster of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin over accusations that he lied to Congress about climate grant cancellations.
Over 160 environmental groups Tuesday called for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to resign or be removed, saying he abandoned the agency's core mission of protecting the environment and public health.
On April 8, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin delivered a keynote address at a Heartland Institute conference, celebrating the repeal of the 2009 'endangerment finding' that had served as the legal foundation for U.S. climate regulations.
In a Senate floor speech on March 27, 2026, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse called for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's resignation, citing Zeldin's alleged dishonesty to Congress and alignment with fossil fuel interests.
On March 30, 2026, senior Senate Democrats, including Senator Whitehouse, called for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's resignation, accusing him of misleading Congress about climate grant cancellations.
On March 24, 2026, over 160 environmental groups called for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's resignation, alleging he abandoned the agency's core mission and favored polluters.
On March 24, 2026, more than 160 environmental and public health organizations called for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's resignation, stating he 'brazenly betrayed' the agency's core mission.
On April 8, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin celebrated the repeal of the 2009 'endangerment finding' at a conference, a move criticized by environmentalists.
Assessments
The promised action was to call for a change in EPA leadership and the removal or resignation of Administrator Lee Zeldin. Evidence shows Senator Sheldon Whitehouse personally made that call in a Senate floor speech on March 27, 2026, and joined other Senate Democrats pressing for Zeldin's resignation shortly afterward. Because the claim is framed as making the call rather than actually securing Zeldin's removal, the promise was fulfilled during Whitehouse's current Senate term.
There is clear, repeated evidence that Senator Sheldon Whitehouse called for a leadership change at the EPA and specifically demanded the resignation or removal of Administrator Lee Zeldin. Multiple primary and secondary sources, including Senate floor speeches, press releases, and calls from coalitions that included Whitehouse, confirm he fulfilled the campaign promise to call for Zeldin's removal. While the evidence does not indicate that Zeldin was actually removed, the promise was to call for a change in leadership, which Whitehouse publicly and forcefully did.
Multiple pieces of credible evidence—including public Senate floor speeches, news coverage, and coordinated calls by Senator Whitehouse and other Senate Democrats for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's resignation—demonstrate that Whitehouse fulfilled the promise to call for a change in EPA leadership and demand Zeldin's removal. These efforts were executed during the same term. The promise was to call for leadership change; fulfillment does not depend on whether Zeldin was removed, only on making the public demand.