Bernie Sanders Takes Shot at Lee Zeldin After Phone Interrupts EPA Nominee's Hearing: 'Sorry That Was the Fossil Fuel Industry'

Sen. Bernie Sanders aimed a joke at former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, during his Senate confirmation hearing after the Vemront lawmaker's phone unexpectedly rang.

An X clip showed the Vermont senator's phone ringing while Zeldin was discussing solar power panels.

"Sorry, that was the fossil fuel industry," Sanders quipped while apologizing for the interruption.

As the former New York representative, Zeldin showed unwavering loyalty to the fossil fuel industry by consistently voting against measures that would benefit the environment and address climate change.

In 2019, the Nation reported Zeldin voted against extending a moratorium on offshore drilling on the Florida Gulf Coast and against a bill that would have forbade new oil and gas leases to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Conversely, Sanders is a staunch climate change activist who ran on combating climate change and cutting carbon emissions by more than 80% by 2050 during his 2016 presidential run.

During his 2020 run, the former presidential hopeful further presented a $16.3 trillion climate plan that would have phased fossil fuels out entirely by 2030.