Hundreds of doctors, nurses and public health workers have signed an open letter demanding the removal of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. They warn Zeldin is “pursuing a deregulatory agenda that will result in a massive increase in health-damaging air pollution, toxic chemicals, and climate-heating greenhouse gases.” On Wednesday, Zeldin delivered a keynote address to a gathering of the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank that promotes climate misinformation. Zeldin celebrated his decision to revoke the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which allowed the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, and praised the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel efficiency standards for new cars and trucks.

Lee Zeldin: “We believe that manufacturers should make whatever the American consumer wants rather than what politicians and bureaucrats demand. … This morning and today, all of you gathered here in D.C., is a moment to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate vindication.”

Zeldin’s comments came as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed last month was the hottest March on record for the contiguous United States, with temperatures more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. The finding comes as forecasters warn a strong El Niño is likely to exacerbate global heating from human activity, which could make this year surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record. Zeldin has been rumored to be under consideration to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general.