WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) released the following statement on the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt:
“Scott Pruitt’s tenure at EPA was an utter disgrace. He should have been fired long ago. Pruitt embodies everything about the ‘swamp’ that President Trump claimed he wanted to end – and the fact that Pruitt was kept around this long shows that the president never cared about rooting out corruption or self-dealing in Washington. On the contrary, the Trump administration has made a mockery of public service, and emboldened people like Scott Pruitt who treat their position as a golden ticket for their own personal benefit – at the expense of the health and wellbeing of American families and the long term health of our environment.
“While Pruitt himself may be gone, his damage will be lasting and his toxic policies still run the show at the Trump EPA. As they worked to curry favor with political donors and industry, Trump and Pruitt effectively turned the keys over to big polluters to oversee the dismantling of critical protections for our clean air, clean water, and public health. Even today, the president said that he believes Pruitt has done an ‘outstanding job’ – and is handing over the reins to another climate denier in Andrew Wheeler who has spent much of his political career lobbying for the big polluters EPA regulates.
“The American people’s disgust with Scott Pruitt should serve as blaring red siren for the Trump administration. Americans will not tolerate another EPA administrator whose primary goal is to fight the core mission of the EPA.”
Udall led a record number of members of Congress in filing a formal resolution calling for Pruitt’s resignation.
