O'Halleran Again Calls for Resignation of EPA Administrator

Press Release

Today, Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) again renewed his call for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to step down from a position that he has used to waste taxpayer dollars and play on political connections to get ahead.

"Misusing taxpayer resources for personal gain is unethical enough, but using powerful political connections to try to obtain a job for his wife with a six-figure salary is crossing a line even for Mr. Pruitt," said Rep. O'Halleran. "Our EPA administrator should be focused on protecting our environment and our precious natural resources, not violating ethics rules and wasting taxpayer money."

Recent reports show that Pruitt used his political connections to attempt to secure a job for his wife--paying no less than $200,000 in yearly salary--at a politically connected group in Washington, DC. Pruitt used a former EPA staffer to try to help his wife procure this position, asking her to reach out to the organization on his behalf.

"Yet again, it seems as though Mr. Pruitt is doing exactly what the American people have come to expect from corrupt Washington politicians," continued O'Halleran. "Our elected officials and their appointees should be held to a higher standard, not use their connections to help their friends and families or waste the tax dollars of hardworking Americans."

In addition to levering political power to find high-paying work for his wife, Pruitt has hidden political meetings from his public calendars, used government employees for personal errands, and ignored ethics rules for first-class air travel.

Last year, Rep. O'Halleran introduced the Taxpayers Don't Incur Meaningless Expenses (DIME) Act to ensure no taxpayer money is spent on government air travel that violates rules applied to senior federal officials, increases transparency and oversight of government travel, and calls for the independent Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to report on ways to strengthen existing rules.

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