Zeldin deflects MAHA, abortion opponents, skin cancer in stride

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin posted on X that he had... — EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin posted on X that he had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, or skin cancer, and had surgery to remove a mass from his nose.

Updated December 16, 2025 5:42 pm

Daily Point

EPA chief battles illness as MAHA moms call for his ouster over chemical deregulation

It’s been a bit of a rough-and-tumble week for EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the Republican from Shirley who previously represented parts of Suffolk County in the State Senate and House of Representatives.

A staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, Zeldin trumpeted his work at the Environmental Protection Agency as the “largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history” back in March. But that led to him being skewered by Make America Healthy Again moms for seeking to loosen restrictions on chemicals that pose significant risks to children, and an anti-abortion group that wants the abortion drug mifepristone named as a contaminant and tracked in drinking water.

MAHA and Students for Life of America put Zeldin and the EPA on full blast in the hopes of effecting policy change, with MAHA circulating a petition demanding his ouster.

So how did Zeldin respond to the jabs from his own side of the aisle? Like any good politician, he invited MAHA leaders in for a talk rather than roiling them on social media. Students for Life of America leaders hope to meet with Zeldin in January, according to Politico.

It remains to be seen whether those meetings result in policy change, though Politico said the EPA is “receptive to their message.”

Such public attacks might have derailed a less politically tested politician, but Zeldin has been around the block. The William Floyd High School grad served in the State Senate from 2011-14 and then in the House in Washington from 2015-23. He lost a closer-than-expected race for governor in 2022.

On Sunday, Zeldin posted on X that he had been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, or skin cancer, and had surgery to remove a mass from his nose. “I’m relieved to be cancer-free,” Zeldin wrote.

In 2021, Zeldin said he had been diagnosed with early-stage chronic myeloid leukemia and was in remission.

As for his recent bout with skin cancer, Zeldin urged people to wear sunscreen and get tested. “Like many people, there were plenty of moments in my life when I spent time in the sun without sunscreen. That was a mistake,” he wrote.

Despite the criticism from unlikely sources within his own party and another health scare, the Army veteran handled the situations with the kind of political aplomb that helped him earn a seat on Trump’s Cabinet. MAHA and Students for Life want more regulation, something they have in common with environmentalists. Will Zeldin’s deregulatory drive appease them all?

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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