Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's Senate confirmation vote has been scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 1, amid the longest confirmation hearing any Environmental Protection Agency nominee has endured in the past 16 years, according to the Washington Examiner.
"After a very thorough vetting process, it is time that we vote on Attorney General Pruitt's nomination to lead the EPA," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told the Examiner. "The committee has done its due diligence, and we should move his nomination forward. Mr. Pruitt has the right experience for the job and will make an excellent administrator of the EPA."
Barrasso, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Pruitt was called to answer 1,078 written questions. The strong Democratic opposition to Pruitt for head of the EPA was over his history of criticizing and suing the agency under President Barack Obama's administration.
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., his party's ranking member on EPW Committee, has demanded more in-depth answers to 50 questions posed by Democrats, according to a statement, per the Examiner.
"Mr. Pruitt's responses were shockingly devoid of substance, did not rely on empirical evidence, and did not reflect the thorough effort that a task so important to our democracy demands," Carper's statement read.
"As the confirmation process continues, I strongly urge Mr. Pruitt to revisit these questions and provide us with the comprehensive information we need to ensure the American people will continue to have an EPA that protects our environment and health."
Another concern leading to opposition for the EPA confirmation is that President Donald Trump's administration – a vocal challenger of human impact on climate change – is reportedly planning cuts, including reduced funding for scientific research.
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