EPA’s Pruitt took flights costing taxpayers more than $58000: Washington Post

(Reuters) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt is said to have taken at least four noncommercial and military flights since mid-February, costing taxpayers more than $58,000, the Washington Post reported.

In June, Pruitt took the most expensive of the four trips when he traveled from Andrews Air Force Base to Cincinnati to join President Trump, the paper reported, citing records obtained from a congressional oversight committee. wapo.st/2fsAyBo

“When the administrator travels, he takes commercial flights,” EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman told Washington Post on Wednesday.

The administrator and the cabinet secretary are the face of the agency, and have an obligation to get out throughout the country, the paper quoted Bowman as saying.

Pruitt’s frequent travels to Oklahoma are already being investigated by EPA’s inspector general.

The EPA and Pruitt’s office were not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier

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Senate panel advances Dunford nomination for chair of Joint Chiefs

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday advanced Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford’s nomination for a second term as the nation’s highest-ranking general.

The committee approved by voice vote for Dunford to be reappointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The move comes a day after Dunford testified before the lawmakers at his confirmation hearing to remain as chairman.

President Trump renominated the former Afghanistan battlefield commander in May.

Dunford was originally nominated to the Joint Staff by former President Obama and has served as chairman since September 2015. 

Trump is said to value Dunford’s experience in Afghanistan, where the president has recently unveiled a strategy for the 16-year-old war.

Dunford led U.S. forces and the international coalition in Afghanistan from February 2013 to August 2014, and worked with Obama on troop drawdowns in the country. 

Dunford’s nomination now heads to the full Senate for a vote, and he is expected to be easily confirmed.

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