Lee Michael Zeldin

Lee Michael Zeldin is an American attorney, former Army Reserve officer and Jewish Republican public official. He served in the New York State Senate and for four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, became his party’s 2022 nominee for governor of New York, and was sworn in as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2025—the first Jewish person to lead the agency.

His public career has brought together three formative strands: military and legal service, representation of Long Island communities, and an explicitly Jewish commitment to the security of Israel. As a legislator, he devoted sustained attention to veterans, foreign affairs and national security. As EPA administrator, he assumed responsibility for decisions affecting air and water quality, energy production, public health and economic activity across the United States.

Jewish roots, education and early life

Zeldin was born on January 30, 1980, in East Meadow on Long Island and was raised in Shirley, New York. He grew up with both Reform and Conservative Jewish influences, attended Hebrew school and later became a member of B’nai Israel Reform Temple in Oakdale. His family history includes several generations of rabbis and institution builders: his grandfather Rabbi Abraham Jacob “Jack” Zeldin founded the Farmingdale Jewish Center; Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin founded Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles; and Morris A. Zeldin helped establish UJA-Federation of New York. Jewish communal life was therefore not merely an identity in the family but a field of practical institution building.

After graduating from William Floyd High School in 1998, Zeldin studied political science at the State University of New York at Albany, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2001. He completed a JD at Albany Law School in 2003 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2004.

Military and legal service

Zeldin received his commission through Army ROTC and served on active duty in the United States Army from 2003 to 2007. His assignments included military intelligence and legal work, and he deployed to Iraq, serving in the Tikrit area. The experience later informed both his attention to national security and his legislative work on behalf of former service members.

After leaving active duty, he continued serving in the Army Reserve, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and completed more than two decades of military service before retiring from the reserve in 2025. In civilian life, he worked as an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and then founded a general-practice law firm in Smithtown, which he operated until his election to the state senate.

New York State Senate: practical support for veterans

Zeldin was elected in 2010 to represent New York’s 3rd State Senate District and won a second term in 2012. His most consequential work there included helping establish the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Support Program. Funding was incorporated into the 2012–13 state budget for a model that connects veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress and service-related difficulties with peers who understand military life firsthand.

The program addressed a practical obstacle in veterans’ care: people who are reluctant to enter a formal clinical setting may be more willing to accept help from fellow veterans in their own communities. The model expanded to additional New York counties, and Zeldin later sought to support a nationwide version through federal legislation. He also co-sponsored the state measure that placed a two-percent cap on annual property-tax growth, an effort aimed at controlling local costs for homeowners.

Four terms in the United States House

In 2014, Zeldin defeated six-term incumbent Tim Bishop to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District, covering eastern Long Island. He entered the House in January 2015 and won reelection three times, serving until January 2023. His assignments included the House committees on Foreign Affairs and Financial Services, where his work encompassed the Middle East, terrorism, illicit finance, housing and oversight.

Veterans and Long Island communities

In Congress, Zeldin attempted to carry the Dwyer peer-support model beyond New York by proposing a three-year, $25 million national veterans’ program. He also introduced legislation to remove the dollar limit on home loans that the Department of Veterans Affairs could guarantee. Not every proposal completed the legislative process, but together they reflected a consistent effort to translate his military background into policy for people returning to civilian life.

Representing a coastal district, Zeldin also worked on the relationship between environmental protection, fishing and Long Island’s economy. He opposed plans to dump dredged material in Long Island Sound, sought a more geographically responsive system for allocating summer flounder quotas, and introduced legislation intended to prevent Plum Island from being sold to the highest bidder. The Plum Island bill passed the House unanimously, although it did not then complete the full path into law. These initiatives connected local conservation with public access, scientific resources and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Israel, security and foreign affairs

For part of his congressional tenure, Zeldin was one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress. He served as a co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, using that position to argue for the strategic alliance between the United States and Israel and to keep Israeli security concerns before American lawmakers.

He supported measures opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel and co-sponsored bipartisan federal legislation on the issue. He backed the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the relocation of the American embassy there in 2018. Zeldin also highlighted the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, and nominated Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz for the Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in negotiating the agreements. His work gave Jewish Republican representation a prominent place in congressional debates over Israel, Iran, regional terrorism and Arab–Israeli normalization.

Breaking with his party on a local priority

Although Zeldin generally voted with the Republican caucus, he opposed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 because it limited the federal deduction for state and local taxes, commonly known as SALT. The cap carried particular consequences for residents of high-tax states such as New York. His vote demonstrated a willingness to depart from party leadership when he believed national legislation would impose disproportionate costs on his district.

The 2022 campaign for governor

Zeldin won the Republican nomination for governor of New York in 2022 after building support throughout the state and visiting all 62 counties. His general-election campaign focused heavily on crime, taxation and the cost of living. He lost to incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul but received approximately 2.76 million votes, or 46.8 percent—the strongest percentage for a Republican gubernatorial nominee in New York since 2002. The result preserved his standing as an influential figure in state Republican politics after his departure from Congress.

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

President-elect Donald Trump selected Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in November 2024. During his confirmation hearing, Zeldin stated that climate change is real and must be addressed. The Senate confirmed him on January 29, 2025, by a vote of 56–42, with three Democratic senators joining Republicans in support, and he was sworn in that day as the agency’s 17th administrator.

The EPA administers federal protections involving clean air, water, toxic substances and pollution, giving its administrator broad influence over public health, industrial standards, energy production and state governments. Zeldin made deregulation, economic costs and greater flexibility for industry and states central to his agenda. Announced initiatives included efforts to reconsider or rescind rules governing power-plant emissions, chemicals and water pollution.

That program represents a major change in the agency’s direction, although many elements have been announced as proposals, reviews or administrative proceedings rather than completed outcomes. Environmental and public-health organizations have strongly opposed central parts of the agenda, while supporters describe it as a way to reduce regulatory costs and encourage domestic production. The importance of Zeldin’s tenure therefore rests both on the historic first represented by his appointment and on the wide practical reach of decisions made under his leadership.

Family and health

Zeldin is married to Diana, and they have identical twin daughters. In 2021, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with leukemia in November 2020 and had achieved remission following treatment. The disclosure revealed a major personal challenge that he navigated while serving in Congress and preparing for a statewide campaign.

Editorial note on inclusion

Lee Zeldin is included on the site even though this person and their public record are controversial among broad sections of the public. Inclusion does not determine whether the influence is positive or negative; it reflects the significant place this figure holds in shaping the lived experience, culture and way of life of the public. Naturally, some regard this activity as positive and even heroic, while others see it as contrary to their worldview. The very existence of opposing assessments is part of the historical record that justifies including this significant and influential figure in the heritage of the Jewish people.

Why Lee Michael Zeldin’s legacy belongs in Moreshet

Zeldin merits inclusion for the unusual breadth of his public service: more than two decades in the military, legal practice, elected office in two legislatures and appointment to a federal position with nationwide consequences. The Joseph Dwyer peer-support program offers a concrete example of turning personal military experience into community assistance for veterans facing post-traumatic stress. His congressional advocacy for Israel, opposition to BDS and support for American recognition of Jerusalem made him an important voice in the relationship among American Jewry, the Republican Party and the State of Israel.

Moreshet documents his story on Moreshet.com because it illuminates a significant chapter in Jewish participation in American government, national security and public administration. His appointment as the first Jewish EPA administrator is an institutional milestone; his veterans’ and Israel work carries direct Jewish and Israeli significance; and his responsibility for national environmental policy demonstrates how a figure rooted in American Jewish communal life can also influence broader human concerns involving health, natural resources, economic opportunity and quality of life.