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According to the latest CDC data, ER visits related to tick bites are at its highest rate in nearly a decade. As if that were not bad enough, Google is now asking the EPA for permission to release up to 64 million bacteria treated mosquitoes in Florida and California in a plan meant to reduce disease carrying populations. This comes as the EPA is squashing claims that it authorized the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Joining us now for tonight's big close-up is EPA administrator Lee Zeldon. Administrator, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. A lot of questions here. Uh looking for better answers. Uh last week or a couple weeks ago, there was an accusation that I
think a billion of these genetically modified mosquitoes had been released. And your specific tweet said essentially at least not in this administration. Well, this administration's a year and a half old. So 18 19 months ago were there a billion mosquitoes that were genetically modified released. So there was an experimental use permit that expired in August of 2024. Uh that that part is real. what was going out across social media was saying that this was some new authorization from EPA and actually since President Trump was sworn back in office. We have not extended that experimental use permit. It expired
last August uh and it hasn't continued while we've been in office. Um but yeah, that was actually something that was taking place uh throughout the Biden administration. And uh we hear a lot of public feedback and concern about this uh technology being released across Florida and elsewhere. Uh and we're heeding those calls. Administrator, I have a lot of questions on mosquitoes, but I also got some questions on the ticks. We attempted to get some answers last weekend. We didn't necessarily give our audience everything that they were looking for. So I want to take a whirl with you. So again, social media swirling about the uptick in ticks and we know that this is a problem. Lyme disease, alpha gal disease. We know that
this has been a concern for many Americans, but there's also been a lot of discussion on social media that somehow there are tick boxes being placed on family farms or somehow this is associated with um perhaps a billionaire who's trying to get people to not eat meat and perhaps that's the reason there's an uptick in ticks. A lot of questions, a lot of social media chatter about it. So, I want to give you a chance to address the tick question and give our viewers maybe some answers that they're certainly yearning for. So, when a new technology comes out that would be killing uh ticks, that would be something that would go through EPA for a gold standard science review. We do not have anything uh that is currently
in front of our agency requesting an approval. This is a really important issue that you're getting at when you're talking about ticks. I've had Lyme disease. I It's something that impacts a lot of Americans, a lot of American families across this country. Uh but this is another topic where, you know, people are suggesting that since President Trump's been sworn into office that, you know, we have been signing off on releasing technology uh as it relates to fighting the tick population. And uh a lot of what we've seen is just not true. We do not have anything any new application in front of us at all. Uh as you just referenced in your answer, which I've seen that stuff online as well.
Mr. Zelden, this is a large issue, especially down in some of the southern states where alpha gal in particular is really taking over the population and up on the east coast as well. Lyme disease is a huge issue. Do you think that this is a priority for the administration as a whole, even outside of your own agency, the EPA? Is this something that you're working with um HHS on, for example, as part of the secretar's make America healthy again agenda? Is there a concerted effort to help Americans who are really distressed by the rise in those two diseases? Big time. Yes. And uh you saw last week uh and I'm glad you asked, a Health and Human Service Secretary, Bobby Kennedy Jr., USDA, Secretary Brooke Rollins, uh
their agencies, uh working together, making an announcement to help fight uh this rising tick population. And uh we're here to assist however possible at EPA. So, this isn't an inter agency, whole of government focus. Uh that's why you saw that push last week by the admin. Uh this is something that is really important to American families. Now, I would say really whenever any of these issues pop that are important to American families, I would say the culture that President Trump uh has set very clearly across this administration is that if it's a priority to millions of Americans, it needs to always be a priority to us. Uh and that's included this topic and that's why all these meetings and
announcements have been made here in recent weeks. We appreciate that. Uh Administrator Zelda, I want to turn to something that I'm personally very passionate about. Thought I was so excited to see this from you. This week, the EPA is taking new steps to phase out animal testing, replacing it with cutting edge alternatives for chemical and pesticide safety reviews. The agency is expanding its list of approved alternative meth uh test methods and creating a new process for researchers and companies to reduce testing on animals like rabbits, mice, rats, and dogs while still keeping American families safe. Uh administrator, we covered on this show
the Ridgland Beagles. I know that uh Judge Piro is now the owner of two of those Ridgeland Beagles and I have friends that are as well. So hearing that the APA is taking steps to phase out animal testing is very promising. What more can you tell us? So during the first Trump administration, there were significant steps made at EPA to start a permanent phase out of animal testing. And then over the course of the Biden administration at EPA, that progress just stalled. Uh what we did was resume that progress last year as soon as we came in. Uh and we continue to implement this phase out of animal testing. And part of the process that EPA is responsible for is validating these new
approach methods the alternative ways of being able to uh assess to research to study without having to use animals. So this past week we announced 13 new approach methods uh having that approval from our agency which allows us to continue that process uh of phasing out animal testing permanently. We're excited to do it. Uh I've been active in this issue since I was a member of Congress. Uh so many Americans, it doesn't matter Republican, Democrat, independent, blue state, red state, all across America. Uh I would hope that we would all be sharing that goal of eliminating animal testing as much as possible as quickly as we can.
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