EPA head Scott Pruitt will be testifying before two Congressional committees today. He will face questions about his efforts to roll back Obama-era environmental rules and regulations as well as about a sizable list of ethical problems. These complaints include Pruitt’s costly first-class travel, outlandish security expenses, and allegations that he accepted a sweetheart condo rental from an oil industry lobbyist. The NYTimes.com is reporting Pruitt’s defense strategy will be “[…] to blame both career and political staff members as well as his security detail for myriad spending decisions.”
For those who wish to follow along CNN has thoughtfully compiled a list of Pruitt’s controversial regulatory actions and his alleged ethical lapses. The one ethical question most people have heard of — which in a pre-Trump political universe would have been more than enough to trigger his firing — is of course Pruitt’s sound-proof booth. Dubbed “the cone of silence,” it was created in his office at cost of $43,000, even though secure telecommunications facilities are available in the same building a few floors below.
So, follow along but don’t let the toxic smoke get in your eyes given that Trump and company are still determined to gut the EPA.
Maybe Phil Scott and the Vermont GOP will throw some toxic toys on the bonfire and invite the kids over to toast marshmallows.
Just remember he’s a dyed-in-the-wool Republican who so far has had a single instance of doing the right thing. That one thing doesn’t wipe out the rest of his partisan record on education funding, a living wage, toxic chemicals, water quality, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
As always, when Republicans say they’re making Vermont affordable, ask, “Affordable for whom?” So far, it’s for the top One Percent.
PS: Ray Stout has a great commentary on affordability over at VtDigger.org: https://vtdigger.org/2018/04/27/ray-stout-affordable/