Jeffrey Hall's July 23, 2025 Testimony - Nomination of Jeffrey Hall to be Assistant Administrator for Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

July 23, 2025

Good morning, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, and distinguished members of this committee. 

It is my honor to appear before you today as President Trump’s nominee for Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the Environmental Protection Agency. I want to thank President Trump for the confidence he has placed in me and Administrator Zeldin for his support of my nomination.

I am joined today by my wife and parents. I want to thank my family and those who have supported me in prior roles and now in my nomination. I want to specifically thank my wife, who has supported me through public service and career transitions, with all of the attendant challenges, while raising our three children. Our third was born less than two weeks before I began at EPA, so her sacrifice has made this all possible.

I want to thank God for his faithfulness. I would not be here were it not for His providence in blessing me with this opportunity and immeasurably greater grace.

My career began with public service, and I have spent most of it as a civil servant. I have now served across four presidential administrations, primarily in the Department of Justice.

Even before I began my career, I anticipated that a substantial portion of it would be public service. My father was a career civil servant for 50 years. While growing up, I was interested in science and wanted to use it to protect America, though I never envisioned doing so at EPA. Through my studies in public policy and then in law school, I began thinking seriously about optimal regulatory enforcement, though I never thought I would oversee it. I have now spent over a decade handling Federal enforcement cases and defending Federal agency action. Through this, I have reflected on the meaning of public service. It is an honorable enterprise when undertaken with the right motives, as many who spend their careers thanklessly improving this Nation demonstrate.

But exercising Federal power is a great responsibility. As a prosecutor, I sought to take people’s freedom and property by force of law. In defending clients, I have seen the human cost of weaponized prosecution. And there is no shortage of necessary but difficult tasks left undone in government.

I therefore understand the great weight of responsibility placed before me through this nomination. I bring the broad background of my experience in civil and criminal enforcement and in environmental law to EPA’s enforcement office.

I had the privilege of already serving as the acting head of that office before my nomination. From the start, I told everyone that we would continue to enforce the law, holding bad actors accountable while promoting compliance and cooperative federalism.

The skilled and dedicated staff at EPA have the knowledge and expertise to accomplish this. At the same time, I recognize the valid concerns about the priorities of the previous administration that distracted from and undermined the core work of enforcing the environmental laws that Congress has passed.

But now, there is tremendous opportunity to oversee a great American comeback, and EPA enforcement is a critical piece of that strategy. As President Trump works to bring industry back to America and reestablish energy dominance, we must ensure that third-world pollution does not follow. We are still paying the price of America’s first, unrestricted industrialization in Superfund sites around the Country that burden the 
public fisc. Also, we must prevent foreign entities from sending toxins here and profiting off of destroying America.

Federal enforcement is necessary to vindicate the distinctly Federal interests and protect these United States, even as we empower States to protect their own citizens. To reorient environmental enforcement toward this positive vision, if confirmed, I will ensure that EPA enforcement will be guided by noble values. There will be clarity as we identify the best reading of statutes and regulations. There will be visibility into our decision making as we revise old policies.

There will be consistency across the regions and with the rule of law and the constitutional structure. We will achieve efficiency by focusing on clear violations while refusing to procrastinate on difficult decisions. And, if confirmed, I will ensure there is accountability for each official to embody these values.

I have had the opportunity to visit some of your States and regions since joining EPA, and I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn about unique challenges facing each through discussions with you and your staff and State regulators. And I reaffirm my desire to enforce the environmental laws. I want to keep my children healthy and leave them a clean environment and a bright future.

Thank you, Chairman Capito and Ranking Member Whitehouse, for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to our discussion and welcome any questions committee members may have.