Verdict with Ted Cruz - April 18, 2025


American Energy Dominanceļ¼š 1 on 1 w EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin


Episode Stats

Length

33 minutes

Words per Minute

180.45534

Word Count

6,119

Sentence Count

457

Misogynist Sentences

4

Hate Speech Sentences

4


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.540 Guaranteed human.
00:00:05.140 Good Friday morning.
00:00:06.460 Welcome.
00:00:06.920 It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you,
00:00:10.020 and we get to give you some really exciting news.
00:00:13.480 You're making history, Senator, as from what I know,
00:00:16.940 you are the first sitting member of Congress to ever have a syndicated radio show.
00:00:22.780 So everyone listening to this podcast in a lot of markets,
00:00:26.460 you're going to be able to hear Verdict on the radio as you're driving around town on the weekend.
00:00:32.220 Well, that's exactly right, and it's a big damn deal.
00:00:35.520 The Verdict podcast, thanks to our incredible listeners,
00:00:38.520 we have about a million unique listeners that listen regularly to this show.
00:00:42.360 We beat CNN every single week, and as of this weekend,
00:00:47.120 we will be on air starting in 84 stations all over the country on syndicated radio,
00:00:53.320 playing on Saturday and Sunday, our Friday podcast.
00:00:55.880 The Verdict podcast will air either Saturday or Sunday on radio.
00:00:59.000 That number, I hope and expect, will grow,
00:01:01.440 but it's another chance to really communicate with people across this country
00:01:05.400 and to bring them behind the scenes to let them know what's going on, what's happening.
00:01:10.600 And today, we've got a special guest on the podcast.
00:01:13.600 Ben, you and I are in Midland, Texas.
00:01:16.540 Midland is an extraordinary town.
00:01:18.680 Midland is, I believe, the most entrepreneurial city on the face of the planet.
00:01:24.960 It is driving the shale revolution.
00:01:27.820 It is driving energy production in Texas and America.
00:01:31.520 And we're here with a special guest.
00:01:33.000 We're here with the administrator of the EPA, Lee Zeldin.
00:01:36.440 Now, Lee is a good friend.
00:01:39.420 I'm going to introduce him to you momentarily.
00:01:42.000 Lee is a veteran.
00:01:44.080 He spent 22 years in active duty in the reserves.
00:01:47.580 He was a member of Congress for eight years from the great state of New York.
00:01:51.300 I'll tell you, I actually went and campaigned with Lee.
00:01:53.620 When he first ran, I went to Long Island and campaigned alongside him.
00:01:58.020 He is smart.
00:01:58.980 He is principled.
00:01:59.980 He is a fighter.
00:02:01.520 Lee was almost the governor of New York.
00:02:04.920 Lee should have been the governor of New York.
00:02:06.880 It would have been much better for the entire state of New York if Lee had been the governor of New York.
00:02:11.320 But tragically, New Yorkers decided they wanted more crime and less jobs and more insanity.
00:02:17.180 And so they voted to reelect Democrats.
00:02:20.060 And I will say the loss to the great state of New York ended up being a win to the United States of America.
00:02:26.240 Because if Lee were governor of New York, he would not have been able to say yes to the job he's in now, which is administrator of the EPA.
00:02:33.340 The EPA has a massive impact on our lives, on our health and safety, but also on the economy.
00:02:40.100 And I'll tell you what, Lee Zeldin is the very first administrator of the EPA in history to come to the Permian Basin, to come to Midland, Odessa.
00:02:48.880 He came because I invited him to come.
00:02:51.020 Lee, welcome.
00:02:51.700 Welcome to Verdict.
00:02:52.340 Senator Cruz, it's great to be with you on the ground in Texas.
00:02:55.460 You feel the freedom here.
00:02:57.480 I mean, he's leaving the airport.
00:02:58.360 I'm thinking of all that budget surplus, government being well run.
00:03:02.720 A whole lot of New Yorkers have come down to Texas.
00:03:05.380 They're not looking back.
00:03:06.740 A whole lot of people fleeing these blue states and they're heading to these freedom-loving states because they feel like their money is going to go further.
00:03:15.460 They'll feel safer.
00:03:16.540 They'll live life freer.
00:03:18.340 Senator Cruz, you've been at the tip of the spear here in Texas, and it's been an awesome day.
00:03:22.400 When I end up heading back to D.C., as you well know, I'm going to be heading back with some oil stains here on the boots.
00:03:30.180 My own little souvenir that you provided to me and the staffers who enjoyed the trip to the rig and speaking to a whole bunch of great.
00:03:37.900 Now, what's so cool about you inviting him down here is you guys went to an oil rig, basically like in the city.
00:03:44.060 You're on it.
00:03:44.960 You're seeing what's actually happening, and it's shocking that no one in the EPA role that you're in has ever done this before.
00:03:50.660 Well, it was fantastic.
00:03:52.560 So we started the day.
00:03:53.620 We went to a rig that is drilling right now, and they're drilling 60 wells, and it's in Midland.
00:04:00.340 It's in the city.
00:04:01.600 It's not too far from downtown Midland, and they built baffles around the rig so it doesn't make much sound.
00:04:08.280 It's not disturbing people, and what they're doing, they're drilling down.
00:04:12.100 They're going horizontal, and they're going horizontal under people's homes, under people's businesses.
00:04:17.660 Now, this is a bonanza for the people in Midland.
00:04:21.160 Why?
00:04:21.560 Because in Texas, look, you own your mineral rights.
00:04:25.620 You own the rights to everything from the surface all the way down to the core of planet Earth,
00:04:31.300 and that means literally as they drill a two-and-a-half-mile-long horizontal well, and they're drilling 60 of these,
00:04:38.400 and if they go under your home, Ben, you know what you get?
00:04:41.320 You get a check every month, a royalty check.
00:04:44.240 They've literally got 10,000 people.
00:04:46.940 They might just be sitting in an ordinary three-bedroom home with their kids playing out back,
00:04:51.840 and they get every week mailbox money of money coming in because a mile or two miles down,
00:04:59.580 this well is producing oil and producing natural gas, and we saw it all.
00:05:05.300 It was incredible, and it was a lot of fun.
00:05:07.960 And the check ends up coming for many decades.
00:05:10.860 Like 40 years.
00:05:11.540 And they said there was 1,000 workers involved in this project.
00:05:17.780 I mean, the benefits economically, the work that they do to protect the environment,
00:05:23.280 I mean, the innovation that they tap into, the way that they are able to do things better for the economy
00:05:30.460 and the environment than so many other countries around the rest of the world.
00:05:34.120 The EPA administrator, Ben, should be seeing this stuff firsthand.
00:05:38.340 And every administrator, if you're going to have a concern enough to regulate these types of industries,
00:05:45.300 you should make sure that you get your facts straight, that you're talking to the people on the ground,
00:05:49.920 and that you're applying common sense.
00:05:52.140 And I think that I'm going to be able to do a better job going forward.
00:05:56.220 And we've hit the ground running.
00:05:57.580 We're almost done here with the first 100 days of President Trump's administration.
00:06:02.160 We have a good team around us, and there's a lot that we're proud of.
00:06:04.980 I feel like today's visit will only make our team stronger.
00:06:08.160 Well, you know, one of the striking things, Ben, as Lee and I were touring the rig,
00:06:13.000 as he was looking around and we were hearing about 10,000 Midlanders who were getting checks in the mail every month.
00:06:19.420 And I got to say, it was interesting watching Lee's perspective as someone who represented New York for eight years in Congress
00:06:26.420 and who ran for governor.
00:06:27.680 And look, there's a significant portion of New York State that has massive natural gas resources.
00:06:35.620 The Marcellus Shale extends underneath Pennsylvania and New York.
00:06:40.520 And in Pennsylvania, just like here in West Texas, there are people making enormous amount of money,
00:06:46.560 ordinary families, school teachers and cops who are getting mailbox money every month
00:06:51.980 because of the resources being extracted from their property.
00:06:56.040 And I got to say, I think Lee was struck that he's visited with those New Yorkers
00:07:00.160 who have that natural gas under their property,
00:07:03.060 and yet idiot politicians in New York won't let them develop it.
00:07:07.840 And it was striking watching Lee making that observation.
00:07:10.480 And they're desperate to tap into it.
00:07:12.580 And in New York, they've banned the extraction of natural gas.
00:07:16.640 They won't improve new pipelines.
00:07:18.220 They're banning gas hookups to new construction.
00:07:21.160 They're trying to move the state residents off of gas-powered vehicles altogether.
00:07:25.540 And that list goes on.
00:07:27.220 And those people who have all this resource under their property,
00:07:30.480 and they see over the border in Pennsylvania where they are tapping into it.
00:07:34.600 And they're driving Cadillacs.
00:07:35.860 And they're driving Cadillacs.
00:07:37.580 On the New York side, they're not.
00:07:39.480 Bad policy in New York.
00:07:41.160 Good policy in Texas.
00:07:42.580 And I want to go back to something you mentioned earlier.
00:07:45.200 And this has been a lot of the headlines that you have been in.
00:07:48.280 It's about you uncovering just an incredible amount of waste within your agency.
00:07:54.020 And you guys are really going after that.
00:07:55.980 Tell us a little bit more.
00:07:57.560 EPA's annual budget is about $10 billion.
00:08:01.600 So far, I've canceled $22 billion worth of grants.
00:08:06.420 And how is that possible, one might ask?
00:08:08.640 Well, in 2024, the amount that EPA obligated and spent was over $60 billion.
00:08:15.380 A lot of money came through the Inflation Reduction Act when Democrats were in charge of Congress.
00:08:21.840 And a lot of that money went through EPA.
00:08:23.300 They created these green slush funds.
00:08:25.940 And in one case, $20 billion, which they couldn't get out on their own fast enough,
00:08:31.060 they ended up parking at an outside bank towards the end of the Biden administration to give through eight pass-through NGOs.
00:08:38.120 Many of them were brand new.
00:08:40.120 One is that Stacey Abrams-linked NGO that received $2 billion, even though they only received $100 in 2023.
00:08:48.180 And because of self-dealing...
00:08:49.240 Wait, hold on a second.
00:08:50.820 They went from $100 to $2 billion?
00:08:54.840 Yes.
00:08:55.540 How crazy is that?
00:08:56.900 And then on page seven of their grant agreement, the Biden EPA gives them 90 days to complete a training called How to Develop a Budget.
00:09:06.180 Now, if you feel like this is...
00:09:08.000 You know, with $2 billion, you don't need much of a budget.
00:09:10.100 Just spend on whatever you want.
00:09:11.860 Oh, I'll add another dynamic to it.
00:09:14.020 On page one of the grant agreement, they have 21 days to start spending the money.
00:09:19.600 So from day zero, they have 21 days to start spending money.
00:09:23.620 They have 90 days to complete a training called How to Develop a Budget.
00:09:27.620 Look, this is insane.
00:09:29.140 And you described what you found as essentially $20 billion in gold bars that were being thrown off the Titanic.
00:09:38.760 That the Biden administration, they realized, oh no, Trump is coming in.
00:09:43.160 Let's just throw this all out the window.
00:09:44.920 I mean, is that what you found?
00:09:46.040 That's exactly what happened.
00:09:47.440 And what alerted Senate Republicans like Senator Cruz, this was something that Senator Cruz and I spoke about back in December when we met before my confirmation hearing,
00:09:58.020 there was this video that came out of a Biden EPA political appointee, a Biden EPA political appointee,
00:10:04.400 talking about how they were tossing gold bars off the Titanic, rushing to get billions of dollars out the door before inauguration day.
00:10:11.340 Wait, this was a Biden phrase?
00:10:12.620 That was...
00:10:13.260 It was the Biden EPA political appointee.
00:10:15.680 Oh, I thought that was you being clever.
00:10:17.920 They called it that?
00:10:19.500 You've got to be kidding me.
00:10:20.880 Yes.
00:10:21.920 And they were doing it with an eye towards getting themselves jobs at the recipient NGOs.
00:10:28.240 So this was us fulfilling a commitment to figure out, go find the gold bars,
00:10:33.760 a commitment to bringing those gold bars back into the Treasury on behalf of the American taxpayer.
00:10:38.620 By the way, Lee, I will say the last Democrat I'm aware of who was intimately involved with gold bars was your former neighboring colleague, Bob Menendez,
00:10:48.540 who was sticking gold bars in his pockets and down his pants.
00:10:51.420 And I will say Bob is currently a resident of government housing.
00:10:55.180 Well, there are...
00:10:57.900 Talking about resident of government and feeding off the taxpayer and abusing tax dollars,
00:11:04.500 this whole scheme is riddled with self-dealing and conflicts of interest, unqualified recipients,
00:11:10.860 and a lack of EPA oversight, deliberately reducing EPA oversight.
00:11:16.560 $20 billion.
00:11:17.760 That's a lot of money.
00:11:19.400 And when that goes through those first eight pass-through entities, a lot of that money goes through more pass-through entities.
00:11:26.280 And we found with one program that there was money that by the time it was getting to the ultimate recipient,
00:11:32.300 it was going through four middlemen.
00:11:34.300 And each of these middlemen are getting their own fee for being middlemen.
00:11:39.760 And I want to add one other thing.
00:11:40.720 We've heard so much about...
00:11:41.860 We've heard the term climate change.
00:11:43.920 We've heard the term environmental justice.
00:11:45.620 And you could build support for your term by the way that you define it, the way you argue and advocate for it.
00:11:53.600 For example, one might say...
00:11:55.620 So if you call it gold bars off the Titanic, that's not the best messaging.
00:11:58.900 Yeah, amen.
00:11:59.940 If you say that we need to combat environmental justice because there are communities that are left behind and they need help.
00:12:07.840 A lot of Americans would be like, okay, there are communities that are left behind and they need help.
00:12:10.900 What do we need to do?
00:12:12.300 But here's the problem.
00:12:13.180 In the name of environmental justice, they will give money to their left-wing activist friends instead of actually remediating environmental issues.
00:12:23.880 So one of the grants I canceled was a $50 million grant to a group called Climate Justice Alliance.
00:12:29.840 They say that climate justice runs through a free Palestine.
00:12:33.560 I say...
00:12:34.080 Oh, God bless.
00:12:34.580 That if you're going to spend $50 million in the name of environmental justice, that money should go towards actually remediating an environmental issue.
00:12:45.540 In the name of climate change, they're willing to spend trillions of dollars bankrupting this country.
00:12:52.920 And we as Americans need to get smart as to what the left has been up to.
00:12:57.100 Let me say something on this, which is you're really underscoring a very important point, that when corrupt Democrats waste billions of dollars, they're doing multiple things.
00:13:09.960 One, they're paying off their buddies and engaging in political corruption.
00:13:13.300 So the $2 billion that was given to Stacey Abrams and her group was to buy new appliances for Georgians.
00:13:19.960 Now, mind you, Stacey Abrams ran for governor of Georgia.
00:13:22.680 She claimed she was the original election denier.
00:13:25.720 She claimed she won, never mind the fact that she didn't.
00:13:29.560 But the Democrats are giving her $2 billion because it turns out if you give someone a brand new dishwasher, maybe, maybe they'll vote for you next time.
00:13:37.580 It's just buying votes.
00:13:38.780 That's one consequence of it.
00:13:40.460 But another consequence of it is that's $2 billion that's not being spent to clean up a Superfund site.
00:13:46.900 That's $2 billion that's not being spent if you have a toxic waste dump.
00:13:52.060 Look, the EPA has really important missions.
00:13:54.940 Every one of us wants clean air and clean water because we all breathe and we all drink water.
00:14:00.900 And if you're wasting $22 billion in cronyism and corruption, that's $22 billion that are not going to clean up the environment and make our kids safer.
00:14:11.060 Is that right?
00:14:11.520 100% right.
00:14:12.560 And we're not here saying we want to take money from a left-wing activist organization and give it to a right-wing activist organization.
00:14:20.020 We're talking about the money belongs to the taxpayers.
00:14:23.220 And if you're going to spend the money on protecting the environment, it needs to go directly towards remediating an environmental issue, period.
00:14:31.500 I don't want to spend a dollar more than what we need.
00:14:34.860 And by the way, when someone comes to me and they say, I have an idea on how to save $5,000, that's a lot of money to me.
00:14:41.940 Let's save $5,000.
00:14:43.460 Let's save $5 million.
00:14:44.740 We save $5 billion.
00:14:46.340 And what's so frustrating is that there are people who, when you say, I have an idea to save a billion dollars, the response is, well, that's only 0.003% of some larger pot of money.
00:14:58.920 So, you know, who gives?
00:15:00.880 Well, I give.
00:15:02.280 And whether it's a B, an M, we're talking about $1,000, whatever it is, when you're a steward of tax dollars, you need to treat it as if it's your own money.
00:15:10.480 You need to treat it with even more care and concern.
00:15:13.660 And unfortunately, there are too many people in government who love wasting money and they're paying it off to their friends.
00:15:18.320 In this case, we're talking about former Biden and Obama-appointed administration officials, former Democratic donors.
00:15:25.620 These are people who they are close with because of that alliance, not because of their qualifications.
00:15:32.220 Stacey Abrams and that NGO doesn't get the money because Stacey Abrams is so experienced in handling billions of dollars.
00:15:39.160 Canadian women are looking for more.
00:15:41.320 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.
00:15:45.520 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk podcast.
00:15:49.240 I'm Jennifer Stewart.
00:15:50.400 And I'm Catherine Clark.
00:15:51.360 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers, all at different stages of their journey.
00:16:01.140 So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.
00:16:04.380 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:16:08.440 You were talking about how it's pretty clear that the Democratic Party decided they were going to take the EPA, radicalize it, use it for their own personal gain and their friends and their climate, religion, and the Green New Deal.
00:16:23.640 The list goes on and on.
00:16:25.180 Can we take a step back and explain to everyone listening around the country, what is the original goal of the EPA?
00:16:32.680 Why was it created?
00:16:33.820 What is your goal so they understand just how far off the beaten path we've gotten?
00:16:38.900 The core mission of EPA is protecting human health and the environment.
00:16:42.600 And what conservatives, moderates, liberals, Republicans, Democrats, independents, what Americans almost all universally should be agreeing on is that we should ensure clean air, land, and water for all Americans.
00:16:55.940 That's a goal that we often talk about.
00:16:58.440 And protecting the environment is something that conservatives care deeply about.
00:17:02.440 We believe that we can both protect the environment and grow the economy.
00:17:06.880 This isn't a binary choice.
00:17:08.880 But what was happening under the Biden EPA was that they were strangulating the economy.
00:17:14.140 And they were passing these regulations that were costing trillions of dollars.
00:17:19.060 And they were designed to put entire industries out of business.
00:17:23.480 And Americans spoke up last November.
00:17:25.100 They say that they want a stronger economy.
00:17:27.980 They want more energy.
00:17:29.960 They want more jobs.
00:17:31.280 And President Trump heard that loud and clear.
00:17:33.880 He campaigned on a lot of this.
00:17:35.680 And that's why there's a National Energy Dominance Council.
00:17:38.320 There's a national energy emergency.
00:17:40.740 And that's why EPA is doing its part.
00:17:42.520 We announced on March 12th the largest deregulatory action in the history of the country.
00:17:47.560 We want to fix this instantly.
00:17:49.760 We're not looking to pace ourselves.
00:17:51.280 I'm not saying, hey, stay tuned.
00:17:53.280 In 2028, the solution is going to finally be here.
00:17:56.500 Take my word for it.
00:17:57.320 I'm saying right now, we are actively walking and chewing gum at the same time.
00:18:01.280 On all fronts, we're firing on all cylinders.
00:18:03.740 We will fix everything.
00:18:05.200 That's our commitment.
00:18:06.000 You know, historically, the EPA, I think, has been the most dangerous and destructive regulator in the entire country.
00:18:13.280 And it is under radical Democrats' promulgated rules designed to destroy jobs, to destroy entire industries.
00:18:21.180 And it reminds me of a joke that I have to admit I've told on the campaign trail many times, which is, what's the difference between regulators and locusts?
00:18:31.460 And the answer is, you can't use pesticide on the regulators.
00:18:36.220 And one time, actually, out here in West Texas, an old farmer leaned forward and said, want to bet?
00:18:42.420 So I'll just tell you when you come in and say I'm the regulator, West Texas is a different place.
00:18:48.500 But I'll tell you why I'm so thrilled that Lee is doing this, because he brings intelligence and common sense and an understanding that we can't protect the environment, keep our air and water clean.
00:19:05.040 But that doesn't mean being a crazy zealot trying to shut down every job you can in America.
00:19:11.200 And that's what, under Obama and Biden, they did.
00:19:14.740 And so I want to ask, and look, and there's a consistent theme across President Trump's cabinet of bringing back a resurgence of common sense, bringing back a dedication to jobs, bringing back a dedication to blue-collar workers.
00:19:30.480 So I want to ask, one of the things we do on Verdict, we try to bring people behind the scenes.
00:19:35.320 And so you're a member of President Trump's cabinet.
00:19:39.420 Let me just ask you, what's it like to be in Donald Trump's cabinet?
00:19:42.500 Like, bring our listeners in.
00:19:43.940 What does it mean?
00:19:45.480 Tell us about the first cabinet meeting you go to.
00:19:47.900 What's it like?
00:19:48.800 Now, I always thought that there was pretty much two choices for a cabinet, that a president can have a cabinet where everyone gets along and that maybe they're all yes-men.
00:19:58.440 They don't have the relationship with the president where they can push back.
00:20:03.420 It's just everyone just tells the president what they want to hear.
00:20:05.820 And then option two is this team of rivals approach where maybe people don't get along with each other.
00:20:11.640 There's some conflict.
00:20:12.960 And from that conflict and debate, maybe you end up with a better cabinet.
00:20:18.280 I remember from the Abe Lincoln team of rivals, a great book worth reading if anyone out there hasn't read it yet.
00:20:25.360 President Trump has tried something different.
00:20:26.900 I really think this is the model of how to do it.
00:20:29.280 He has a cabinet where everyone gets along with each other.
00:20:32.800 There's great chemistry, and we all have the relationship with President Trump where we could tell him where we disagree on any topic.
00:20:42.480 We all have that relationship with him where we are able to share our candid thoughts, our candid recommendations.
00:20:49.520 And I think this cabinet is stronger for it.
00:20:51.600 I think that the president and this administration, his country is stronger for it.
00:20:55.460 Inside those cabinet meetings, like we just had one last week that was all over three hours long.
00:20:59.900 It was so positive, and it was so substantive.
00:21:03.740 And we're all talking about what we are working on in our own agency.
00:21:07.000 In many cases, it's working with other agencies and the partnerships.
00:21:11.760 I'm a member of the National Energy Dominance Council.
00:21:14.040 I'm a member of the Make America Healthy Again Commission with Secretary Kennedy.
00:21:18.060 And that cooperation between agencies ends up allowing us to accomplish so many other goals, like Senator Cruz has been fighting for permitting reform.
00:21:27.940 Well, one of the best ways to achieve permitting reform is to have agencies working on this stuff at the same time, rather than having to go through 12 months in one agency.
00:21:37.860 And then you go to some other agency, and they're gumming up the works, and the person who's applying for the permits is like, hey, why didn't you just tell us that a year ago?
00:21:45.580 Well, we want to make sure that we are doing things efficiently in a way that we are all making the American public proud.
00:21:50.680 It's a new way to have a cabinet.
00:21:53.140 I think this is the way presidents should do it going forward.
00:21:55.160 You know, I read something last week that was amazing, which is Donald Trump, in three months of his second term, has already answered more press questions at cabinet meetings than Joe Biden did in four years as president.
00:22:10.280 Although, to be fair, Biden may have been answering questions of voices he was hearing in his head, so I don't know about that.
00:22:15.640 All right, let me ask another question, which is how did you find out you were going to be EPA administrator?
00:22:22.020 Tell us what it's like.
00:22:22.860 So you're sitting there minding your own business.
00:22:25.220 Like, how did this appointment come about?
00:22:27.580 So it was a call on a Sunday morning right after the election.
00:22:31.460 I spoke to the president a few times during that week after the election, and the president was thinking through some different options.
00:22:39.540 I didn't know what he was going to ask me to do.
00:22:42.300 It was clear that he wanted me to come join the team.
00:22:45.460 Sunday morning, though, he calls me up, and he is locked in.
00:22:49.440 He is decisive.
00:22:50.460 He is motivated.
00:22:51.200 He had this vision of exactly what we can be accomplishing at EPA, and his motivation motivated me.
00:22:58.520 I said, if you love this idea, and I mean, I am all in.
00:23:01.760 I was like, actually, what I said was, if you like it, I love it.
00:23:04.280 And then the rest is history.
00:23:06.060 And one of the cool things about contacting me on November 11th, when you still have two and a half months before a confirmation, is that is a runway to get fully staffed up, to fully prepare for how to hit the ground running once we got there.
00:23:22.440 So the president, when he called me up, he had like 15 specific ideas.
00:23:27.100 He wanted us to, we're just talking about permitting reform.
00:23:30.000 He's talking about making America the AI capital of the world.
00:23:32.300 He wants to bring back American auto jobs.
00:23:34.320 He wants to unleash energy dominance.
00:23:35.900 And he had a lot of specific ideas on how to do it.
00:23:39.300 Now, I don't know what that conversation was like eight years earlier when he was calling his then nominee to be EPA administrator.
00:23:47.560 But I will tell you, when he called me up, he was deeply knowledgeable on everything that we needed to do to do a great job.
00:23:54.880 Let me ask you another question for some of you that are listening and they hear the EPA.
00:23:59.420 One of the things that you're trying to do is deregulate and allow for things to flourish.
00:24:04.560 That can have a huge impact on every American's life.
00:24:08.300 That can be at the gas pump.
00:24:09.540 That can be with natural gas at their house.
00:24:11.160 That can be with countless other things.
00:24:12.560 Give a list of just how important the EPA is and how much it touches an average American's life they may not even realize.
00:24:18.060 One is the EPA has tremendous power to gum up the works on a lot.
00:24:22.460 I mean, if you want permitting reform before you even have to go through a legislative process, EPA could speed up a whole lot of permitting timelines by just getting out of the way.
00:24:33.900 There is incredible power.
00:24:35.900 Now, there's a whole bunch of landmark historic laws that are on the books.
00:24:39.340 Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, CERCLA for Super Funds, Toxic Substances Chemicals Act, Control Act.
00:24:47.100 There's a lot of laws that are on the books that have EPA doing different work.
00:24:51.680 It is important for us to ensure that we are not overstepping these powers and what we can do through our deregulatory action amounts to what is the largest deregulatory environment in the history of the country.
00:25:08.880 There's never been a year, there's never been a presidential administration or a year in the past where the entire federal government did more deregulation than the EPA will do in 2025.
00:25:22.580 That's how much we can accomplish in such a short time.
00:25:25.400 That's incredible.
00:25:26.440 You told a story earlier today about the EPA's involvement in cleaning up the California wildfires.
00:25:33.080 And it's a good example of how it impacts people's lives.
00:25:35.520 Like, you wouldn't necessarily think the EPA is involved in dealing with wildfires, but you guys are deeply involved.
00:25:41.280 As soon as the wildfires hit Los Angeles, over 13,000 properties destroyed.
00:25:46.380 President Trump comes into office.
00:25:47.760 He inherits it.
00:25:48.520 It happened a few days before he got there.
00:25:50.420 He signs an executive order.
00:25:51.660 He says, EPA, you have 30 days to do your entire phase one hazardous material removal before phase two starts, which is the Army Corps of Engineers doing their debris removal.
00:26:03.620 And like with the wildfires, you have people's homes that burn to the ground.
00:26:06.520 There's a lot of toxic sludge.
00:26:08.200 I mean, it's a mess.
00:26:09.160 It's dangerous.
00:26:10.160 Like, fires produce bad stuff.
00:26:12.140 And you guys had to figure out how to clean it up.
00:26:14.320 But do it in 30 days.
00:26:16.280 Yeah, at first, the response was, that's impossible.
00:26:19.060 This is going to take you until the summer at best.
00:26:21.620 It's going to take a few months for sure.
00:26:23.560 The lithium ion batteries were all over this particular area.
00:26:27.640 We got it done in less than 30 days after ramping up to 1,500 workers.
00:26:32.120 Proud of the effort from EPA.
00:26:33.720 We do a lot like this that the American public might not know about.
00:26:36.800 And that's why in just a couple days, we're heading to the Tijuana area in Southern California, where a lot of Mexican raw sewage is entering for decades.
00:26:44.460 We need to end it.
00:26:45.040 Number one, about you guys dealing with water issues in Tijuana.
00:26:49.960 And there's another one that a lot of Americans will remember.
00:26:53.880 And that was the train derailment.
00:26:56.360 And it seemed like the government was picking winners and losers with that cleanup or lack thereof.
00:27:01.940 You guys have also gotten involved with that.
00:27:03.640 Because what you did in the wildfires in California is incredible.
00:27:06.620 That's what every American should get, no matter where they live.
00:27:09.800 And politics shouldn't come into it.
00:27:12.580 This is something that really showed then junior senator J.D. Vance, as someone who understands leadership in a time of crisis.
00:27:21.440 When disaster strikes, your instinct as a leader should be to show up at that site and to be the voice of the people.
00:27:27.860 And what was wild was J.D. was like the only one there.
00:27:33.020 I think that might be Congressman Bill Johnson's district.
00:27:35.520 Well, to be fair, Donald Trump came, too.
00:27:37.460 Yeah.
00:27:37.960 Well, and it was J.D.
00:27:40.280 Not Joe Biden, not Pete Buttigieg, but Donald Trump came.
00:27:44.340 That's right.
00:27:44.740 And I remember the conversations where J.D. was engaging with President Trump to make sure that President Trump was there.
00:27:52.660 And this was all in the initial days and weeks after disaster struck.
00:27:57.720 Yes.
00:27:58.160 And a lot of people were wondering, well, where is this person?
00:28:01.940 Where is that person?
00:28:02.840 Where is this agency?
00:28:03.840 Where is that agency?
00:28:05.420 It should be.
00:28:06.240 This is the ultimate gut check and instinct check.
00:28:10.100 And it's amazing because Biden and the Democrats, they really like Palestinians.
00:28:14.200 You would think they would have gone.
00:28:15.860 Oh, my gosh.
00:28:18.800 All right.
00:28:19.720 For the record, Lee Zeldin is officially speechless.
00:28:22.100 He doesn't know what to do with that smartass comment.
00:28:25.260 I'll tell you, it was such a missed opportunity to lead.
00:28:31.400 And that EPA, over the course of time, there ended up being 220,000.
00:28:36.660 We saw 220,000 tons of contaminated soil removed.
00:28:40.540 We saw tens of millions of gallons of water removed.
00:28:43.700 It ended up becoming a massive EPA effort that actually is still ongoing.
00:28:48.920 And in a way, for the environmental and human impacts, there's going to be testing going on for a long time to come.
00:28:56.420 And I would encourage anyone who's out there listening who is in that community, in the area that maybe you used to go to East Palestine,
00:29:04.200 but now you take a detour, you go somewhere else.
00:29:06.720 We all need to do our part to help bring East Palestine and Ohio back.
00:29:10.080 Amen.
00:29:10.400 It's very important to the vice president.
00:29:12.620 But, unfortunately, too many of these cases have shown that lack of leadership.
00:29:18.540 Well, tell us what you're doing in Tijuana because it's an amazing story.
00:29:21.040 Where do you have an issue where, for decades, Mexican raw sewage has been coming across the border.
00:29:26.140 It's been poured into the Tijuana River.
00:29:28.480 It ends up contaminating water and air.
00:29:32.160 We have Navy SEALs getting sick.
00:29:34.360 They have to do training somewhere else.
00:29:36.700 So we have decided enough is enough.
00:29:38.520 We're going to Tijuana in the coming days.
00:29:41.080 I can't wait to get there.
00:29:42.120 We're going to be on the U.S. side of that border.
00:29:44.560 We have a whole plan of action.
00:29:46.460 I'm just warning you, when you're in the cabinet, what happens in Tijuana does not stay in Tijuana.
00:29:52.800 Yes, sir.
00:29:53.820 Great advice.
00:29:56.000 And especially if you drink the water.
00:29:58.500 You'll be bringing that back with you to D.C.
00:30:01.940 So, listen, it's something that we're going to step up on and tackle.
00:30:06.240 And we're proud of it.
00:30:07.100 What EPA wants to assist?
00:30:09.420 And these are Americans that we see over there.
00:30:12.380 California, do they vote red or blue?
00:30:14.240 All your listeners know the answer to that one.
00:30:16.800 It doesn't matter.
00:30:17.600 But look, you're cleaning that crap up, literally.
00:30:20.940 I mean, that is valuable.
00:30:23.240 That's what we want the EPA to be doing.
00:30:26.140 That's important.
00:30:27.140 Let me ask you.
00:30:28.740 So you and I are in Midland, Texas.
00:30:30.660 We spent the day.
00:30:31.700 We started by going to a rig that was drilling an oil well.
00:30:35.620 We then had a roundtable.
00:30:36.980 And actually, when you were being confirmed and you came by my office, you and I have been good friends for over a decade.
00:30:41.940 But when you were being confirmed, I said, I want to ask you to commit to come to Midland, Texas.
00:30:47.160 And sit down with oil and gas leaders, with entrepreneurs, with people that are producing energy and hear from them.
00:30:55.920 And it's amazing.
00:30:56.560 You're the first EPA administrator in history to come to Midland, Odessa, which is astonishing.
00:31:03.800 It's like saying an ag secretary had never been to Iowa.
00:31:07.760 It's like saying a secretary of state had never been to the United Kingdom or never been to Israel.
00:31:12.400 Like your job, every EPA administrator should be in the Permian Basin, given the importance of it and the involvement of the EPA.
00:31:21.460 So tell us about, you met with wildcatters and business leaders, a lot of people that are good friends of mine.
00:31:27.880 Give us your impression of the folks you met and what you learned on this trip.
00:31:32.660 Was it valuable?
00:31:33.820 Salt of the earth job creators.
00:31:35.860 You could just imagine how much sweat equity was around that table of people who have poured their lives, their heart, blood, tears, creating jobs, providing energy to Texans and beyond.
00:31:52.340 And these people need us to be thanking them, to be praising them for their good work, to be supporting them, as opposed to using our power to try to make it more difficult for them.
00:32:03.480 By the way, these guys are all close friends and buddies of mine.
00:32:09.060 I have had great joy in recent weeks and months asking them how much they're like Billy Bob Thornton.
00:32:15.300 Have they ever been tied up and had a mask over their head?
00:32:18.020 Have they been covered in gasoline by cartels?
00:32:21.180 Our host, Bill Holmes, great, great, great friend, landman, very successful businessman.
00:32:28.020 I asked him, so by the way, if you haven't watched Landman, you should.
00:32:31.460 It's the best show on television.
00:32:33.480 I did play for President Trump in the Oval Office last week, the segment from Landman where Billy Bob Thornton talks to the left-wing environmental lawyer about windmills.
00:32:46.180 It's the best three minutes on television of our lifetime.
00:32:49.300 And I will say at least the Landman I know in Midland tell me that they murder fewer people than they do in the show.
00:32:55.400 It's still a great show.
00:32:56.480 And for Billy Bob, if you're out there listening, that was a free sponsorship from Senator Ted Cruz, so you're lucky that you have that fan playing it for President Trump in the Oval, bringing a great show to the people.
00:33:10.440 And listen, we need to get smart with energy policy.
00:33:13.000 There are people promoting wind as an intermittent source as if that's a substitute for baseload power.
00:33:17.400 For all of you out there listening, let's get smart, educate, advocate the people who are around us need good policy.
00:33:25.160 It's a really fun show today.
00:33:26.820 I hope you guys enjoyed it.
00:33:28.200 Don't forget, this is exactly why we do this show three days a week.
00:33:31.100 Hit that subscribe or auto-download button.
00:33:33.100 You don't want to ever miss an interview that we do, just like this one.
00:33:36.740 And make sure you share this podcast wherever you are.
00:33:39.640 We would greatly appreciate that on social media.
00:33:42.720 So if you're on X, if you're on Instagram, wherever you are, share this podcast.
00:33:46.140 And the Senator and I will see you back here for the Weekend Review on Saturday morning.
00:33:50.920 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:33:53.800 Guaranteed human.