"Senior Republican Calls for E.P.A. Chief’s First-Class Travel Files"

"The chairman of the House Oversight Committee — in a prominent instance of Republican scrutiny of the Environmental Protection Agency under Scott Pruitt — demanded on Wednesday that the E.P.A. chief turn over documents related to his first-class travel at taxpayer expense.

Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, called on Mr. Pruitt to detail all his government travel since assuming leadership of the E.P.A. one year ago. He raised a particular concern over conflicting statements from Mr. Pruitt’s press office about whether the administrator had a waiver to fly first class at all times.

“Clearly, federal regulations prohibit a blanket waiver to fly first class except to accommodate disabilities or special needs,” Mr. Gowdy wrote in a letter. “Instead, a waiver is required for each flight in order to fly first or business class when traveling on official government business.”"

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times February 21, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"Polluted Communities React To Pruitt’s Luxury Travel: ‘I Don’t Get A Day Off From This Nightmare’" (Think Progress)