WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt faces potentially make-or-break hearings today on Capitol Hill, where he is expected to be peppered with questions about spending and ethics scandals that have triggered bipartisan calls for his ouster.
Pruitt was scheduled to testify about his agency’s budget in back-to-back hearings before two House subcommittees.
The public grilling comes amid notable erosion in support for Pruitt among fellow Republicans after a nearly month-long hammering of negative headlines about out-sized security spending, first-class flights and a sweetheart condo lease.
President Donald Trump has continued to stand by his EPA chief, but behind closed doors, White House officials concede Pruitt’s job is in serious jeopardy. In the last week, a growing list of Republican lawmakers has joined the chorus of Democrats calling for new investigations into Pruitt’s actions.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Pruitt’s behavior has begun to hurt Trump’s credibility, as well as the Republican Party.
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