By Louise Radnofsky and Heidi Vogt
WASHINGTON -- Embattled Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Scott Pruitt faces an all-day grilling on Capitol
Hill on Thursday, as the White House weighs his performance amid
allegations involving his spending habits and ethics.
Mr. Pruitt is under investigation for his spending on office
furnishings, personnel moves, travel costs, security practices and
the link between his housing and a lobbyist. The White House,
inspector general of the EPA, House oversight committee and
Government Accountability Office have been looking at these
issues.
Travel issues alone have already felled two cabinet members: Tom
Price at the Department of Health and Human Services and David
Shulkin at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Now Mr. Pruitt is at risk of ebbing support even among
conservative backers, who have begun hedging their praise. They
said he needs a strong performance on Thursday to shore up his
position.
"I've been pleased with the job Administrator Pruitt has been
doing -- rolling back regulations and restoring the EPA to its
proper size and scope, but these latest reports are new to me,"
said Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.), a longtime ally who didn't
specify which reports had drawn his concern.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, has stood by Mr. Pruitt,
noting he has had success implementing the White House's
deregulatory agenda. Under Mr. Pruitt's watch, the EPA has eased
restrictions on power-plant emissions, suspended a clean-water rule
advanced by Mr. Trump's Democratic predecessor, pulled out of the
Paris agreement on climate change and championed a plan for more
permissive auto-emissions standards.
"He has been a very key player in advancing the president's
agenda but some of his transactions and transgressions against
logic deserve explanation," said Ken Blackwell, who as domestic
policy chief during Mr. Trump's transitionstrongly backed Mr.
Pruitt for the EPA job. "It's extraordinarily important that he is
transparent and comprehensive in his responses and that he measures
up."
In his prepared testimony for his hearing in front of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee panel, Mr. Pruitt doesn't address any
of the issues that have sparked controversy, highlighting instead
his effort to make a "more efficient and effective EPA."
In the past, Mr. Pruitt has indicated that aides made key
decisions, not him, on pay increases for top advisers and his
first-class airplane travel. He has also noted that his agency's
ethics officer signed off on his lease agreement, which critics
have said was improperly below market rates and had ties to an
energy lobbyist. The ethics office has since said it is revisiting
the issue.
An administration official said on Wednesday that Mr. Pruitt
faced a "very consequential day," and that he had significant
obstacles to overcome. "He's bleeding out support in Congress," the
official said, calling that a "big telltale sign."
Press secretary Sarah Sanders said the White House is
"evaluating these concerns and we expect the EPA administrator to
answer for them."
The administrator's day will begin with an appearance in front
of a subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. An aide for
committee Republicans said GOP lawmakers had "legitimate oversight
questions" as well as policy matters to discuss.
A Democratic spokesman said lawmakers would attempt to ask about
a range of the reports that have dogged Mr. Pruitt, including his
lease, air-travel costs and his expensive security detail for
personal trips. "It's a lot to try to get in, in one hearing," the
aide said. "He needs to account for the investigations."
The subcommittee is up against a hard deadline. In the
afternoon, Mr. Pruitt is scheduled to appear before a House
Appropriations subcommittee. A spokeswoman for Republicans on that
committee said the expectation was that the hearing would be more
tightly focused on the EPA budget, with the potential for lawmakers
to raise particular issues of concern.
But a Democratic aide said they had discussed the back-to-back
hearings with counterparts on the Energy and Commerce Committee and
plan to divide up the gamut of topics they want to address. For
instance, appropriations committee lawmakers are planning to focus
on ethics issues specifically related to government spending,
including the installation of a soundproof phone booth and claims
of retaliation against staff who challenged Mr. Pruitt's
decisions.
Republican senators have been especially vocal in expressing
concerns about Mr. Pruitt in recent days. "You've got to respect
taxpayer money -- you can't go around just spending it like it was
dishwasher and acting like a big shot. You can't. That hurts the
president. That hurts the boss. That hurts all of us," Sen. John
Kennedy (R., La.) said.
Mr. Pruitt's allies are stepping up a defense of his service on
several fronts.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who has been critical of
Mr. Pruitt for his handling of the renewable fuel standard, said he
has no interest in seeing him dismissed in large part because of
the time it would take to fill the position. He blamed Democrats
for blocking nominees, saying they "filibuster everything."
Some governors have described Mr. Pruitt as a familiar figure
who understands their issues, and who they want to see stay as a
result.
"He's been accessible and responsive," said Republican Doug
Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, on Wednesday. "He's from
Oklahoma, so he understands the oil and gas industries, which is
helpful," he said, also citing Mr. Pruitt's support for the state
on regulatory water issues.
Other administration allies warn that cutting ties with Mr.
Pruitt may encourage more criticism of other administration
officials.
Mick Mulvaney, who is both White House budget director and
interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is being
criticized by Democrats for telling a group of bankers that, when
in Congress, he "didn't talk to" lobbyists who failed to give him
political donations. Mr. Mulvaney did say he would see any
constituent from South Carolina, whether they were a contributor or
not.
The president's nominee to take over the Veterans Affairs
Department, Dr. Ronny Jackson, is trying to mitigate lawmakers'
growing concerns about his practice regarding distribution of
prescription medicines and management during his time as White
House physician.
Ralph Reed, head of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a
conservative advocacy group, urged the White House to support Mr.
Pruitt or risk inspiring attacks on other administration
officials.
"He has been fiercely loyal to President Trump, has courageously
advanced his agenda to create jobs and redress regulatory
overreach, and has paid a high personal price for doing so," Mr.
Reed said. "The White House is smart to stand by him. To do
otherwise would undermine a good man and only serve to embolden the
president's critics."
--Rebecca Ballhaus, Tim Puko and Kristina Peterson contributed
to this article.
Write to Louise Radnofsky at louise.radnofsky@wsj.com and Heidi
Vogt at heidi.vogt@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 25, 2018 19:46 ET (23:46 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.