Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said recent layoffs at EPA, coupled with Zeldin's comments about sharp spending cuts, show he had no intent to follow through on a pledge during his confirmation hearing to work collaboratively with EPA's staff.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said his administration aims to cut around 65 percent of staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, a key regulatory body that works on a range of areas, including climate change.