Washington DC — Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey took to X claiming the EPA is putting children at risk by withholding critical lead pipe replacement funds. He posted a coordinated letter signed by the state’s entire congressional delegation, insisting that the agency immediately release more money. The letter says delays “jeopardize public health” for Massachusetts families.

Then EPA administrator Lee Zeldin walked into the chat with a flamethrower.

Zeldin fired back that Massachusetts has already received more than $155 million in federal lead pipe funding since Fiscal Year 2023 and has spent zero of it. According to him, not one dollar has been put to use. His message was clear. If Markey wants more money, he needs to explain why the state is sitting on the funds it already got.

Zeldin wrote that the Trump EPA will only release new funding once Massachusetts submits an actual plan for spending the money it is hoarding. He said the agency is enforcing “total accountability” on states that fail to manage taxpayer dollars.

More confirmation Massachusetts doesn’t send their brightest to the U.S. Senate. Anyone want to guess how much Massachusetts has spent of the $155+ MILLION in lead pipe replacement funding that it has received from the EPA since the start of Fiscal Year 2023? ZERO! NOTHING!… https://t.co/pIsdt5clMZ

— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) November 25, 2025

This puts Markey in an awkward spot. On one hand he is blasting the EPA for slow release of funds. On the other hand his own state appears to have stalled the entire process by failing to deploy even a fraction of the funding already delivered.

Massachusetts has some of the oldest water infrastructure in the country. Residents have heard promises for years about replacing aging lead service lines. Zeldin’s claim that the state has done nothing with $155 million in hand is raising eyebrows across the region.

Markey’s delegation letter paints the EPA as the obstacle. Zeldin says the obstacle is Massachusetts mismanagement. If Zeldin’s numbers hold up, this could be a major embarrassment for the state’s senior senator.

The only thing clear is that someone is not telling the full story. And families concerned about clean drinking water deserve answers.

For now the Trump EPA says no more money until Massachusetts produces a plan. Zeldin says that is accountability. Markey says it is obstruction. The public will decide who they trust.