We have some new destinations to add to "Where In The World Is EPA Chief Scott Pruitt."
Earlier today, the national for-profit jumped all over a Washington Post report about the first-class travel habits of EPA destroyer Scott Pruitt. I guess the frequent flyer likes to go all-out while jetting across the globe to hobnob with polluters and promote President Trump's anti-environment agenda
Via The Washington Post:
Just days after helping orchestrate the United States’ exit from a global climate accord last June, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt embarked on a whirlwind tour aimed at championing President Trump’s agenda at home and abroad...
In total, the taxpayer-funded travel for Pruitt and his top aides during that stretch in early June cost at least $90,000, according to months of receipts obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project under the Freedom of Information Act. That figure does not account for the costs of Pruitt’s round-the-clock security detail, which have not been disclosed.
I get it. This is just another example of irresponsible government spending by a "fiscally responsible" Republican, and represents even more hypocrisy within the Trump administration. It makes for a good, clickable headline and good, clickable story for a media that's desperate for clicks. But in Pruitt's defense, let's keep this in perspective:
1. The federal budget is about $4-trillion dollars or so. According to a super-calculator I found online, that means Pruitt's travel expense accounted for .00002275% of the government budget. Could that money be better spent? Yes, but the richest nation in the world should be able to afford luxury travel accommodations for minions of our oligarchs.
2. If I were in Pruitt's shoes, I'd do the same thing! Hell, I'd probably go all out and raid the hotel mini-bar, too. Like you wouldn't? It's always fun to enjoy life's luxuries when you're not paying for them. Plus, in Trump's White House, you have to live every day like it's your last. You never know when you're going to find yourself unemployed or in prison.
