Senator continues to call for Pruitt’s resignation in light of serious ethical issues, efforts to undermine environmental protections

Washington (May 4, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today asked Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt for more information on the outsized role lobbyists and non-governmental individuals play in setting the agenda for his international travel. According to recent press reports based on EPA documents, current and former lobbyists have played roles in both setting the agenda and helping to execute international travel for Administrator Pruitt. In at least one instance, the lobbyist was subsequently hired by the foreign government that Mr. Pruitt visited, calling into question the propriety of these trips, the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for them, and how they serve the public interest. In the letter,

“The outsized role you have given lobbyists and non-governmental individuals in setting both your domestic policy agenda as well as your international travel is concerning and leads to even more questions about your ability to objectively serve the American people,” writes Senator Markey in his letter to Administrator Pruitt. “The latest media reports, in addition to the other investigations examining your governance of the EPA – including your excessive and unjustified first-class travel, exorbitant pay raises given to your staff, and frequent trips to your home in Oklahoma at the taxpayer’s expense – are damaging not only to you personally but to the EPA as well.”  

A copy of Senator Markey’s letter is available HERE.

Senator Markey’s letter requests detailed information about those outside the U.S. government who have played a role in planning or executing trips for Administrator Pruitt, whether or not those trips actually occurred.

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