Rep. lleana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., called for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to resign Tuesday, becoming the second U.S. House Republican from Florida to demand the embattled Cabinet member step down.
Keith Fernandez, press secretary to Ros-Lehtinen, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the congresswoman said another person should “fill” the role of EPA administrator.
“When scandals and distractions overtake a public servant’s ability to function effectively, another person should fill that role,” the congresswoman said in a statement to HuffPost.
Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., was the first Republican to call for Pruitt’s resignation Tuesday afternoon after controversial reports broke calling his ethics into question.
“Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt’s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers. It’s time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him,” Curbelo wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
Pruitt came under fire after a report last week revealing the EPA chief was renting a condominium linked to a Canadian energy company’s lobbying firm during the same time the agency approved their pipeline extensions plan.
Both lawmakers are part of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, a group with more than 70 members that advocates for policy changes that address the changing climate.
