Lee Zeldin Biography, Net Worth, Age, Career & Facts

Lee Zeldin is an American politician, attorney, and army veteran serving as the 17th EPA Administrator. Explore his biography, career in Congress, military service, wife Diana, and political rise.

Lee Zeldin is an American politician, attorney, and military veteran serving as the 17th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he represented New York’s 1st Congressional District in the US House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023 and served in the New York State Senate from 2011 to 2014.

A close ally of President Donald Trump, Zeldin defended the president during both impeachment proceedings and voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

As of April 2026, he is widely reported as a leading candidate to be nominated as the next US Attorney General following the dismissal of Pam Bondi.

Field	Value
Full Name	Lee Michael Zeldin
Date of Birth	30 January 1980
Age	46 years old (as of 2026)
Place of Birth	East Meadow, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Religion	Judaism
Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Diana Zeldin
Children	2 — Mikayla Zeldin and Arianna Zeldin (twin daughters)
Education	BA Political Science, SUNY University at Albany (2001); JD, Albany Law School (2003)
Occupation	Politician, attorney, government official
Military Service	US Army Reserve, Lieutenant Colonel (retired May 2025); deployed to Iraq 2006; 82nd Airborne Division
Political Party	Republican
Net Worth	Not publicly verified
Known For	17th EPA Administrator; former US Congressman (NY-1); 2022 New York gubernatorial candidate

Early Life and Education

Lee Michael Zeldin was born on 30 January 1980 in East Meadow, New York, to Merrill Schwartz and David Zeldin. He was raised in Suffolk County on Long Island and graduated from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, New York, in 1998. His family is Jewish, and he attended Hebrew school growing up. His uncle, Isaiah Zeldin, was a rabbi who founded Stephen Wise Temple, a Reform synagogue in Los Angeles.

Zeldin attended the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He then enrolled at Albany Law School, earning his Juris Doctor in 2003. In 2004, at age 23, he became the youngest attorney in the state of New York at the time.

Career

Military Service

Zeldin served 22 years in the United States Army Reserve, building a military career parallel to his legal and political pursuits. He held roles in military intelligence and served as a paratrooper with the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division. In 2006, he was deployed to Iraq. He retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in May 2025, shortly after beginning his tenure at the EPA.

New York State Senate (2011–2014)

Zeldin entered elected politics in 2010 when he won a seat in the New York State Senate, representing the 3rd Senate District. He served in the state legislature from 2011 to 2014, focusing on issues including veterans’ affairs, tax policy, and government accountability.

US House of Representatives (2015–2023)

In 2014, Zeldin was elected to the US House of Representatives, representing New York’s 1st Congressional District on Long Island. He served four consecutive terms from January 2015 to January 2023.

During his time in Congress, Zeldin established himself as one of President Trump’s most vocal defenders. He prominently defended Trump during his first impeachment hearings over the Trump–Ukraine scandal and again during the second impeachment following the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack. He voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, which Joe Biden won.

On environmental issues, his congressional record was mixed. According to the League of Conservation Voters, Zeldin supported only 14% of key pieces of environmental legislation during his time in the House. He voted against the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, supported Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and backed amendments to prevent the EPA from implementing methane pollution rules in the oil and gas sector. However, he did support some conservation initiatives for his Long Island district, as well as bills to address PFAS contamination and prohibit offshore oil drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

2022 New York Gubernatorial Campaign

In 2022, Zeldin ran as the Republican nominee for Governor of New York. He defeated three challengers in the Republican primary and secured endorsements from the Republican and Conservative parties. He lost the general election to incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, though he received the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial nominee in New York since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state since 1970.

During the campaign, Zeldin’s team faced scrutiny after submitting thousands of duplicate petition signatures in an effort to secure a ballot line.

Crisis Management Firm (2023–2025)

After leaving Congress in January 2023, Zeldin ran a crisis management and public relations firm from 2023 to early 2025. He also undertook consulting work, including for a Qatari-led firm — a connection that drew scrutiny during his later EPA confirmation hearings.

EPA Administrator (2025–Present)

In November 2024, President Trump nominated Zeldin as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His confirmation hearing took place on 16 January 2025, and the Senate confirmed him on 29 January in a 56–42 vote. Three Democratic senators — John Fetterman, Mark Kelly, and Ruben Gallego — joined all Republicans in voting for his confirmation. He was sworn in the same day by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

As EPA Administrator, Zeldin has pursued what he has described as “the largest act of deregulation in the history of the United States” under the banner of the “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative. His major actions at the agency include the repeal of the endangerment finding (the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, established under the Obama administration in 2009), rolling back protections for wetlands and endangered species, weakening or repealing rules on emissions from power plants and vehicles, granting exemptions to nearly 70 coal-burning power plants from environmental restrictions, cutting agency jobs and proposing to reduce the EPA’s budget by 65%, dismantling the agency’s scientific research arm, and completing a wildfire cleanup in Los Angeles in under 30 days.

In his first nine months, Zeldin travelled to all 50 US states to hear from residents, business owners, and elected officials. He released scorecards of what the administration described as the top 100 environmental wins during each 100-day period of Trump’s term.

His tenure has drawn sharp criticism from environmental and public health advocates. More than 160 environmental and health organisations signed an open letter accusing him of undermining the EPA’s core mission. Senate Democrats have called for his resignation, accusing him of providing incomplete or misleading information during hearings tied to climate funding decisions. Zeldin and the EPA have rejected those claims.

Potential Attorney General Nomination

As of April 2026, following Trump’s dismissal of Pam Bondi as Attorney General on 2 April 2026, multiple news outlets including The New York Times, CNN, and Time reported that Zeldin was the leading candidate to be nominated as the next US Attorney General. Todd Blanche was named acting AG in the interim. No formal nomination had been announced at the time of writing.

Career Timeline

Year	Milestone
1998	Graduated from William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach, New York
2001	Graduated from SUNY Albany with BA in Political Science
2003	Earned Juris Doctor from Albany Law School
2004	Became the youngest attorney in New York State at age 23
2006	Deployed to Iraq with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division
2011–2014	Served as New York State Senator, 3rd District
2015–2023	Served as US Representative for New York’s 1st Congressional District
2019–2021	Defended Trump during both impeachment proceedings
2022	Lost New York gubernatorial race to Kathy Hochul
2023–2025	Ran a crisis management and public relations firm
January 2025	Confirmed as 17th EPA Administrator in a 56–42 Senate vote
March 2025	Launched “Powering the Great American Comeback” deregulatory initiative
February 2026	Announced repeal of the endangerment finding for greenhouse gas regulation
May 2025	Retired from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel
April 2026	Reported as leading candidate for US Attorney General

Personal Life

Lee Zeldin is married to Diana Zeldin. The couple have twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna. They were born and raised on Long Island, New York, though the family has relocated in connection with Zeldin’s government role in Washington, D.C.

Zeldin is Jewish and has spoken publicly about his faith and upbringing in Hebrew school. His uncle, Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, was a prominent figure in Reform Judaism who founded the Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles.

He has maintained a relatively private family life despite his high-profile political career, and his wife and daughters have largely stayed out of the public spotlight.

Net Worth and Assets

Lee Zeldin’s exact net worth has not been independently verified by major financial publications. As a former US congressman and current cabinet-level official, his earnings have come from congressional salary (approximately $174,000 per year during his House tenure), his crisis management and consulting firm (2023–2025), his legal practice, and his current government salary as EPA Administrator.

Financial disclosure reports filed during his time in Congress and his EPA confirmation would contain details about his assets and income, though specific net worth estimates have not been widely published.

Awards and Recognition

Zeldin’s formal awards are primarily tied to his military service and government career. He retired from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years of service, including a combat deployment to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. As a congressman, he received various commendations from veterans’ organisations and conservative groups for his legislative record.

Interesting Facts About Lee Zeldin

1. At 23, he became the youngest attorney in New York State at the time of his admission to the bar in 2004.
2. He served as a paratrooper with the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division before deploying to Iraq in 2006.
3. His uncle, Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, founded the Stephen Wise Temple, one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United States.
4. He received the highest raw Republican vote total in a New York gubernatorial race since 1970 during his 2022 campaign against Kathy Hochul.
5. Three Democratic senators crossed party lines to vote for his EPA confirmation in January 2025.
6. He travelled to all 50 US states in his first nine months as EPA Administrator.
7. He was a registered Republican who defended Trump during both impeachments and voted against certifying the 2020 election results — a rare combination of actions among members from blue-leaning New York districts.
8. He ran a crisis management firm between leaving Congress and joining the EPA — a gap of roughly two years.

Quotations by Lee Zeldin

“We are pursuing the largest deregulatory effort in American history.” — Lee Zeldin, describing the EPA’s agenda under his leadership, March 2025

“The American people sent a clear message that they want an EPA that works for them, not against them.” — Lee Zeldin, announcing the “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, February 2025

Final Thoughts

Lee Zeldin’s career arc — from small-town Long Island attorney to Iraq combat veteran to eight-term congressman to EPA Administrator — reflects a political figure who has consistently aligned himself with the conservative wing of the Republican Party and, more specifically, with the political fortunes of Donald Trump. His willingness to defend the president during both impeachments and his vote against election certification positioned him as a trusted loyalist, which directly led to his cabinet appointment.

His tenure at the EPA has been among the most consequential and contested in the agency’s history. The repeal of the endangerment finding alone represents a fundamental shift in the US government’s approach to climate regulation, and the scale of deregulation under his leadership has drawn both praise from industry advocates and fierce opposition from environmental and public health groups.

As of April 2026, with Pam Bondi dismissed as Attorney General and Zeldin widely reported as the frontrunner to replace her, he stands at another potential turning point. Whether he moves from the EPA to the Department of Justice or remains at his current post, his influence on the Trump administration’s domestic policy agenda is already substantial — and likely to grow.