Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will ignore allegations involving his spending, travel, and ethics when he opens his testimony before Thursday’s much-anticipated House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.
Pruitt’s opening statement, posted Wednesday in advance of the hearing, focuses on policy, with his usual message about returning the EPA to a “back to the basics agenda,” emphasizing his cleaning up of Superfund sites, combating lead in drinking water, and giving more power to states.
The hearing is intended to focus on the EPA’s fiscal 2019 budget request, but lawmakers are expected to grill Pruitt on recent scandals that have put his job in jeopardy.
“With this budget, we are committed to fulfilling our mission of protecting public health and the environment,” Pruitt will say, according to the prepared testimony. “With support from our state and local partners, and by working with each of you and your colleagues in Congress, we can make a real difference for communities across America.”
The posting of Pruitt’s testimony comes as a White House official Wednesday said the embattled EPA administrator must address questions about various ethical allegations against him “in short order.
“I can tell you that the president and the White House are aware of these issues and these stories, that they raise some serious concerns, there’s no question about that,” White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told NPR Wednesday. “We’re looking into those questions and concerns as well.”
“We know what’s going on over there. We’ve seen the reports and it raises questions,” Gidley added. “And the EPA and, quite frankly, Mr. Pruitt are going to have to answer those questions in short order.”
The White House is investigating Pruitt, as are various congressional committees and the EPA’s inspector general, for scandals including his $50-per-night condo rental deal with the wife of a energy lobbyist, massive spending on security, frequent first-class travel, and retaliation against employees who question his judgment.
Pruitt is scheduled to testify before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee Thursday morning and at a House Appropriations subcommittee in the afternoon.
Republicans in Congress are calling for more hearings, and have said they will be watching to see how Pruitt responds to questions from House lawmakers Thursday.
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said he wants his panel to conduct an oversight hearing with Pruitt.
Inhofe represents Pruitt’s home state, and he introduced the EPA administrator at his confirmation hearing.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, meanwhile, told reporters Tuesday she plans to invite Pruitt to testify next month before the Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees the EPA’s budget.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Tuesday he is awaiting the results of the White House investigation of Pruitt’s ethics, as well as Pruitt’s performance in the House hearings, before determining next steps.
“I have questions about use of taxpayer dollars. I want to make sure taxpayers are getting value for their dollars, make sure money is being spent appropriately. So there continue to be serious questions,” Barrasso told reporters Tuesday. “We’ll see what comes out of the hearings on Thursday.”
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