III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 473 

Expressing no confidence in the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and calling for the immediate resignation of the Administrator. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 18, 2018 

Mr. UDALL (for himself, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. CARPER, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

BOOKER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. PETERS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. NELSON, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. 

SANDERS, Mr. CASEY, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. 

KAINE, Mr. BROWN, Mr. COONS, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. WARNER, Ms. 

DUCKWORTH, Mr. LEAHY, and Mr. REED) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing no confidence in the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and calling for the immediate resignation of the Administrator. 

Whereas the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

Agency (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘Administrator’’) is a key position in the Executive Branch; 


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•SRES 473 IS 

Whereas the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency 

(referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘Agency’’) is to protect human health and the environment; 

Whereas the Agency is vested by law with the principal responsibility for controlling and abating pollution in the 

areas of air, water, land, hazardous waste, noise, radiation, and toxic substances; 

Whereas Scott Pruitt, as Administrator, has misused taxpayer dollars by spending those taxpayer dollars on excessive personal conveniences and unnecessary office enhancements while dramatically cutting budgets and staff 

for critically important enforcement, research, and implementation activities; 

Whereas, under Administrator Pruitt— 

(1) the Agency is hemorrhaging staff and experts 

needed to protect the health, safety, and livelihood of millions of people of the United States, with more than 700 

employees of the Agency having left or been forced out 

of the Agency during his tenure as Administrator; 

(2) the Agency is seeking to shrink staff of the 

Agency by 3,200 employees (or roughly 20 percent of the 

workforce of the Agency of about 15,000), which would 

make it difficult to implement the mission of the Agency; 

and 

(3) top officials of the Agency have been granted 

permission to also work for private companies while employed by the Agency, creating major conflicts of interest 

with their positions at the Agency; 

Whereas, by delaying the effective date of regulations, easing 

enforcement of existing regulations, and delaying implementation of new regulations, Administrator Pruitt is 


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•SRES 473 IS 

helping polluters at the expense of the health, safety, and 

livelihood of millions of people of the United States; 

Whereas Administrator Pruitt has failed to exercise the enforcement authorities of the Agency, which are necessary 

to the fulfillment of the mission of the Agency, and has 

hampered career officials and experts from efficiently 

doing their jobs without political interference by issuing 

a memorandum that required regional offices of the 

Agency to first seek permission from Agency headquarters before— 

(1) investigating potential pollution violations; 

(2) requesting information from potential violators; 

or 

(3) requiring additional monitoring from companies 

suspected of violations; 

Whereas Administrator Pruitt has continually overridden the 

recommendations of the scientists of the Agency in order 

to provide relief to industry, leaving in place the use of 

harmful chemicals, pesticides, and policies that are directly impacting the health and well-being of millions of 

people of the United States; 

Whereas the Agency is expected to maintain and uphold unbiased scientific credibility, but Administrator Pruitt— 

(1) has undertaken actions directly counter to the 

science-based mission of the Agency by working to undermine and censor science, scientists, and researchers; 

(2) has skewed the membership of all advisory committees of the Agency by removing and barring highly 

qualified, independent scientists from those advisory committees if the scientist has received grants from the 

Agency, while allowing individuals who receive funding 

from industry to serve on those advisory committees; and 


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•SRES 473 IS 

(3) is attempting to paralyze the ability of the Agency to set health-based pollution standards by restricting 

the use of scientific research by the Agency unless that 

research complies with criteria that are intentionally 

nearly impossible to meet; 

Whereas Administrator Pruitt— 

(1) has shielded his actions from the people of the 

United States, including by refusing to make his schedule 

public or provide justifications for his policy and rulemaking decisions, in a way not done by any previous Administrator; and 

(2) has claimed unprecedented exemptions on the 

few requests under section 552 of title 5, United States 

Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Freedom of Information 

Act’’), from outside groups that the Agency has responded to, masking all but the most basic information 

about meetings, travel, and spending of Administrator 

Pruitt from the public; 

Whereas Administrator Pruitt has lost the faith of the public 

through his continued undermining of basic ethics, particularly the ethics of impartiality (such as by renting a 

below-market priced room in a condominium owned by an 

energy lobbyist with clients who had interests that are 

regulated by the Agency), and is tarnishing the reputation of serving in public office at the Agency; and 

Whereas, for the reasons described in this preamble, Scott 

Pruitt, as Administrator, has failed to faithfully discharge the functions of that office: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 


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1 (1) Scott Pruitt should resign immediately from 

2 his post as Administrator of the Environmental Pro3 tection Agency; and 

4 (2) the President should appoint to the office of 

5 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

6 Agency an individual who will be committed to the 

7 fulfillment of the mission of the Environmental Pro8 tection Agency and who is able to fully and faithfully 

9 discharge the public duties entrusted to the office of 

10 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

11 Agency. 

Æ 


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