Senate hearing focuses on EPA Pruitt’s spending

Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)  – A top Republican senator worries that the ethical cloud hanging over President Donald Trump’s top environmental official is overshadowing the administration’s pro-business regulatory moves.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, and lawmakers are raising questions about his spending habits, security precautions and large raises to some aides.

Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who heads the subcommittee, is expressing concern about the continued focus on the ethics allegations

And the subcommittee’s top Democrat, New Mexico’s Tom Udall, is accusing Pruitt of failing to inform lawmakers about a $43,000 soundproof booth for making private phone calls from his office.

Udall tells Pruitt he’s treating his position of public trust “as a golden ticket for extravagant travel and fine dining.”