Trump's administration is proposing to cut the EPA's budget roughly in half, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the plan during contentious congressional hearings this week where Democrats accused the agency of abandoning environmental and public health protections. The hearings reflect a fundamental disagreement over the EPA's role — Republicans supporting the cuts and Democrats arguing they'll weaken environmental oversight. What's not mentioned: Zeldin has already reduced EPA staffing to its lowest level in decades before these budget cuts, and the agency has faced criticism from environmental groups for rolling back multiple Obama-era protections since Trump took office in January.