Former Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday as the new Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

The chamber voted 56-42 in favor of the former New York congressman.

Zeldin was nominated by Donald Trump days after his election in November.

Zeldin served in Congress for eight years, representing New York's 1st Congressional District on Long Island from 2015 to 2022. He ran for governor of New York in 2022 and was narrowly defeated by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the closest gubernatorial contest the state has seen in 28 years.

In his confirmation hearings earlier this month, Zeldin touted his work in Congress, securing money to help protect the Long Island Sound and Plum Island, arguing that on Long Island, environmental issues are bipartisan. Democrats on the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee pressed Zeldin about his knowledge of the science of climate change. 

Zeldin is one of several current or former congressional Republicans to be nominated for positions in the Trump administration. The others include Rep. Elise Stefanik and former Rep. Brandon Williams.