The tiny trash museum you never knew existed — and cost taxpayers millions



EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has taken it upon himself to shut down the National Environmental Museum and Education Center — a multimillion dollar Biden administration project built to showcase EPA achievements.

The museum, which also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual maintenance costs, featured “historical and scientific artifacts, along with interactive displays that highlight environmental history events and EPA milestones.”

“I think we all knew this was going to be a catastrophe when it started,” Stu Burguiere of “Stu Does America” comments. “Basically, it is a super cheap-looking museum. It's kind of colorful, I guess, but it’s got a bunch of pictures of water and trees on the walls.”


“Then you have this next area, which is like a little seating area around three tiny monitors, where you can sit down and watch videos that likely repeat over and over again,” he continues, adding, “My understanding, too, is that they’re using energy here, which, of course, is killing the planet.”

Zeldin decided to shut down the museum after realizing it was “scarcely visited” and “cost a whopping $4 million taxpayer dollars to build in accordance with Smithsonian standards and more than $600,000 annually to operate.”

“Do your tax dollars really need to be going to museums?” Stu asks. “I kind of argue no, frankly, on that one. Maybe take some donations.”

“$600,000 is not a lot of money in government standards, but a lot of money coming from everyday people to go to a museum,” he continues, noting that the size of the museum was atrociously small for that kind of cost to the taxpayers.

“The museum itself is about the size of an apartment, barely 1,600 square feet, tucked inside the ground floor of EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. It had less than 2,000 external visitors between May 2024 and February 2025. That’s like nine months, 2,000 visitors,” he explains.

“To put that in perspective, even the lowest visited Smithsonian Museum has eight times the visitors in one year,” he adds, “So we’re spending $600,000 a year. We spent $4 million to build a one-room apartment.”

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Trump EPA takes aim at forever chemicals



The Trump administration appears serious about ridding American drinking water of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals," and penalizing polluters.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Monday that his agency will be taking a suite of actions to address PFAS.

"We are tackling PFAS from all of EPA's program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing certainty for passive receivers," Zeldin said in a statement. "This is just a start of the work we will do on PFAS to ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water."

PFAS is a group of roughly 15,000 synthetic chemicals that have been in consumer products since the 1940s. The EPA noted on its website that PFAS "can be present in our water, soil, air, and food as well as in materials found in our homes or workplaces."

A 2015 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that PFAS were found in the blood of approximately 97% of Americans. A 2023 study released from the U.S. Geological Survey indicated PFAS were found in at least 45% of the country's tap water.

Citing the current peer-reviewed scientific literature, the EPA indicated that exposure to PFAS could lead to:

  • decreased fertility and increased high blood pressure in pregnant women;
  • developmental delays in children, "including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes";
  • increased risk of cancers such as prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers;
  • hormonal destabilization; and
  • increased cholesterol levels.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, studies have also found possible links between PFAS and diminished immune systems, increased risk of childhood obesity, and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women.

The EPA has now committed to "strengthening the science, fulfilling statutory obligations and enhancing communication, and building partnerships."

'It's encouraging to see the support of the Trump EPA to express their concerns about PFAS.'

The agency will apparently take 21 actions to address PFAS contamination, such as:

  • support investigations into violations;
  • use Safe Drinking Water Act authority to probe and remedy immediate endangerment;
  • enforce the Clean Water Act and Toxic Substances Control Act limitations on PFAS use and release to prevent further contamination;
  • advance remediation and cleanup efforts where drinking water supplies are contaminated;
  • work with states to assess risks from PFAS contamination;
  • beef up the development of testing methods to improve detection of PFAS;
  • implement a PFAS testing strategy under the Toxic Substances Control Act;
  • launch additional efforts on air-related PFAS data collection and measurement techniques;
  • develop effluent limitations guidelines for PFAS manufacturers with discharge reductions in mind; and
  • designate an internal PFAS czar to "better align and managed PFAS efforts across agency programs."

John Rumpler, clean water director and senior attorney at the Environment America Research and Policy Center, expressed optimism Monday about the agency's proposed actions.

"Some of the initiatives announced by EPA could begin to advance Administrator Lee Zeldin's stated objective: 'to ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water,'" stated Rumpler. "These include setting at least some limits on how much PFAS certain industries can release into our waterways, and using our nation's toxic substances law to restrict the use of these chemicals — hopefully in the strong manner that several states have already done."

"On face value, it's encouraging to see the support of the Trump EPA to express their concerns about PFAS," Linda Birnbaum, an American toxicologist who formerly served as director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, told Inside Climate News. "The question is always, what are the devils in the details."

Environmental and health experts are not the only ones cautiously hopeful about the EPA's next steps.

The American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association for chemical companies, said in a statement obtained by Chemical and Engineering News, "While we need to learn more about the details of EPA's announcement, we have consistently advocated for a comprehensive approach to managing PFAS, including for the designation of a point person to coordinate across differing programs and agencies."

"We support strong, science-based regulations for PFAS chemistries that take into account the differences between them, continue to allow for the many products that they enable, and drive domestic manufacturing," added the ACC.

Although the EPA now appears to be largely picking up where the first Trump administration left off with its 2019 PFAS action plan — which called for improving methods and tools for managing PFAS risk, as well as greater enforcement — some notable efforts on this front were made by the Biden administration.

The agency established national, legally enforceable limits last year on PFAS in public drinking water in April 2024. The final EPA rule gave public water systems three years to complete initial monitoring for PFAS contamination. Those who discovered PFAS at levels in excess of federal standards were afforded another five years to reduce the amount.

Despite having years to comply with the April 2024 rule, water utilities and chemical producers filed suit, claiming the government was exceeding its authority in trying to remove dangerous chemicals from municipal water systems.

The New York Times reported that the Trump administration faces a May 12 deadline to decide whether it wants to mount a legal defense of the water standards.

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EXCLUSIVE: JD Vance’s team reveals how vice president will celebrate first 100 days in office

'Ushering in America's industrial renaissance'

EPA uproots 455 DEI and 'environmental justice' workers to end Biden's woke initiatives



President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it would either fire or reassign 455 employees in an effort to eliminate the Biden administration's woke programs.

The EPA notified 280 employees that they would be terminated in a "reduction in force," Axios reported. Another 175 staffers responsible for "statutory functions" will be reassigned.

'Getting people back in the office is a priority now.'

Those impacted held "environmental justice" and diversity, equity, and inclusion roles in the agency's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, Office of Inclusive Excellence, and its regional offices.

An EPA spokesperson told Axios, "EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency."

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has accused the former administration of throwing away $20 billion in taxpayer funds on environmental justice initiatives.

"No matter how hard some try to circle the wagons to defend lighting billions of YOUR tax dollars on fire to be misspent in a $20 BILLION Green Slush Fund, I will not compromise on my ZERO tolerance policy against ANY waste and abuse!" he wrote in a Monday post on social media.

During a Monday press conference, Zeldin addressed efforts to streamline the agency and save taxpayer funds.

"When we came in, we inherited an operation that, for the most part, people weren't even here in the office. COVID-era remote work is over," he stated. "When I came in, I had asked the team, 'How much have employees been coming in since January of 2024?' And the answer is that on Mondays and Fridays, it averaged five to eight percent. The record high attendance was 37%."

"Getting people back in the office is a priority now," Zeldin declared, adding that returning workers to the office would allow the agency to make informed decisions about its real estate footprint.

Zeldin's EPA has already saved American taxpayers roughly $18 million by removing employees from the Ronald Reagan Building and consolidating its office space in Washington, D.C.

The EPA administrator has focused much of his attention this week on addressing the sewage flowing over the border from Mexico into California.

On Tuesday, Zeldin toured a San Diego County plant that treats the sewage from the polluted Tijuana River. He stated that the EPA plans to present Mexico with a list of actions to resolve the issue.

"This is not a U.S.-side answer. I wish that we could resolve this all on our own," Zeldin told KXTV. "There's a lot of needs on the Mexican side."

He said that he spoke with Mexican officials about "chemical treatment" and "diverting 10 million gallons per day from the Tijuana River to the dam."

"We want both sides to sit down and go project by project to talk about the timeline of everything and make sure that every single project is operating on the tightest timeline possible," he added.

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6 Ways Repealing The EPA’s Intrusive ‘Endangerment Finding’ Will Make Americans’ Lives Better

The Endangerment Finding is the foundation enabling climate rules like mandating electric vehicles or causing coal fired power plant closures

Obama-Appointed Judge Orders Trump Admin To Disburse $20B to Green Groups Including Stacey Abrams-Linked Org

A federal judge ruled late Tuesday evening that the Environmental Protection Agency must immediately restart a $20 billion Biden-era green energy program that the Trump administration terminated last month, restarting the flow of taxpayer funds to eight environmentalist groups including one linked to Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams.

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Zeldin closes Biden’s climate museum over massive taxpayer waste



Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday announced the closure of the $4 million agency museum built by the Biden administration.

Zeldin referred to the one-room, 1,595-square-foot facility as one of former President Joe Biden's failed "pet projects," noting that during its nine months of operations, it saw fewer than 2,000 external visitors.

'The museum closure represents just one step in our broader commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility.'

While admission was free to the public, he stated that each visitor cost taxpayers $315.

The museum is located at the EPA's Washington, D.C., headquarters and opened in May 2024. Despite its small size, the facility cost $4 million to open and costs another $600,000 annually.

Zeldin shared a video on X giving a tour of the museum and explaining the decision to shut it down.

He stated that a timeline featured in the museum "conveniently omits" President Donald Trump's first administration. A separate video showed a gap in the timeline between 2014 and 2021.

"This agency has been spending $123,000 on cleaning, $207,000 for security, $54,000 on maintenance, and an additional $54,000 on storage," Zeldin said. "From May 2024 through last month, only 1,909 members of the public visited the museum. Even though it is free admission, this museum costs you, the taxpayer, $315 per external visitor."

He described it as a "shrine to [environmental justice] and climate change."

"Under President Trump, we are ending the practice of burning tax dollars on pet projects," Zeldin declared.

In a Monday op-ed on Fox News, Zeldin stated that he has terminated Biden-era spending that will save taxpayers $22 billion.

Zeldin noted that the money allocated toward the "scarcely visited" museum could have been used by the Biden administration to provide "clean air, land, and water to forgotten communities."

"The museum closure represents just one step in our broader commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility," Zeldin wrote. "This isn't about diminishing our commitment to environmental protection; it's about enhancing it through responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The days of unchecked spending on monuments to the egos of the left are over. Under our leadership, fiscal responsibility and mission focus will guide every decision. The American people deserve nothing less."

Additionally, Zeldin announced on Tuesday that the EPA would be moving out of its D.C. headquarters.

"EPA will be saving American taxpayers $18 MILLION in annual lease costs by moving staff out of the 323,000 square feet of space we occupy in the Ronald Reagan building in D.C.," he stated.

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DEI Hangs on At NASA. Plus, Harvard in Trump Admin's Crosshairs.

Equity in space: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory let go nearly 900 workers last year due to budget cuts. The layoffs impacted both technical and support staff at the lab, which creates land rovers that have reached Mars. They did not impact the lab's chief inclusion officer, Neela Rajendra.

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Stacey Abrams Was 'Pivotal' in Securing $2 Billion Biden Grant for Green Group That Now Calls Her Role 'Alleged'

The Stacey Abrams-linked environmental coalition that received $2 billion during the Biden administration argued in court that its connection to Abrams is "alleged." Just one year ago, the coalition's lead group lauded Abrams for playing "a pivotal role" in the application that secured the funds.

The post Stacey Abrams Was 'Pivotal' in Securing $2 Billion Biden Grant for Green Group That Now Calls Her Role 'Alleged' appeared first on .

Judge or activist? Trump CLASHES with another judge over climate funding



Almost as if it’s the judiciary's only purpose, another activist judge is attempting to block President Donald Trump from cutting the government's frivolous spending of taxpayer dollars.

This time it’s Judge Tanya Chutkan, the D.C. judge who rejected President Trump’s presidential immunity in the January 6 case — and she’s doing everything she can to keep climate change funding on the board.

“You could say she’s an activist just cosplaying as a judge,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments. “She’s trying to halt EPA chief Lee Zeldin from shutting down the Biden billion-dollar pipeline to environmental extremist groups.”


“She has ordered President Trump to let Citibank keep all of this gravy train going, and this taxpayer money, your money,” Gonzales continues, “is going to activist groups like Power Forward, which is connected to election denier Stacey Abrams and the corrupt Climate United Fund.”

“This is over 20 billion of our dollars that Lee Zeldin is trying to get back,” she adds, noting that Zeldin has more than enough reason to be fighting for it.

“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were tossing gold bars off the Titanic, rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” Zeldin said in a video address to the American people.

“The gold bars were tax dollars, and tossing them off the Titanic meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it. Following this revelation, during my meetings with members of Congress, I made a very important commitment to them and to the American people, which I reiterated at my confirmation hearing,” he continued.

“That if confirmed, I would immediately get a full accounting. Fortunately, my awesome team at EPA has found the gold bars. Shockingly, roughly 20 billion of your tax dollars were parked at an outside financial institution by the Biden EPA,” he added.

While Gonzales is grateful for Zeldin’s action, she’s not surprised.

“It’s not shocking to me that these Democrat activists who are in disguise, whether they’re a judge or they’re a Chuck Schumer, whoever, it doesn’t shock me that they hate the fact that we have an administration that is trying to root out a bunch of corruption and fraud and waste,” Gonzales says.

“But what is shocking to me, is that they are so forthright about it, they are so in your-face about it, they think that this is going to go over well with the American people, that they are trying to prevent President Trump,” she continues, “from doing the things that he said he was going to do.”

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