Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker delivered remarks on the Senate floor last night against the nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Booker voted against Pruitt’s confirmation during a vote before the Senate earlier today.
“When Mr. Pruitt was questioned by a reporter on his practice of letting polluting companies write letters challenging EPA regulations, which he then copied onto his official attorney general letterhead and he then sent, this is what Scott Pruitt said. This is his defense for letting polluting companies write letters that he put on his letterhead and then sent off to the EPA, advocating for them: ‘That is actually called representative government in my view of the world.’
“That is, simply, not an acceptable world view for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. His view of representative government isn't any one of those 111,000 children. His idea of representative government isn't a family living next to a lake from where they are advised not to eat the fish anymore. His idea of representative government isn't pregnant mothers who are worried about eating fish that are caught in the State. His idea of representative government is giving voice to the polluters--to the powerful, money-laden interests--and not to those of the people,” Booker said during his remarks.
Booker’s full floor speech can be viewed here.