Following a letter from top Democratic congressional appropriators demanding answers from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin about the agency’s illegal funding blockades, Evergreen Action Executive Director Lena Moffitt released the following statement:

“By blatantly refusing to comply with multiple court orders, the Trump administration is rapidly moving our country to a state of lawlessness. Their illegal funding blockade of critical EPA programs defies the Constitution, multiple federal laws, and a series of recent judicial directives explicitly directing them to resume funding commitments. Trump’s illegal EPA blockade makes it harder for Americans to get clean air and water and drives up energy bills. And it causes unnecessary chaos in state and local governments in red states and blue states alike. Families and businesses are suffering while Trump puts his reckless agenda ahead of the American people.

“This flagrant disregard for the rule of law must end. Congress has the sole authority over federal spending, and no president can unilaterally block funding that has already been approved. Despite multiple court rulings ordering the administration to release these funds, they continue to defy the law. We are thankful to Democrats in Congress who are demanding answers and fighting back to restore these vital programs and the rule of law in our country. The administration must reverse their illegal blockade, comply with the law, and stop playing politics with people’s lives.”

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