"Congress to Pruitt: We’re Not Cutting EPA Budget to Trump’s Levels"

"House Republicans say they’ll protect programs that affect their districts. That’s a lot of the EPA’s work."

"Members of the congressional committee responsible for the Environmental Protection Agency's budget—Republican and Democrat alike—made clear Thursday they have no intention of approving the White House's proposal to slash the agency's spending.

In a hearing, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt defended the Trump administration's budget plan for the first time on Capitol Hill, insisting that the agency he leads could fulfill its mission under a plan that cuts its budget more than any other federal agency's.

On climate change, the committee members divided along party lines on whether they supported the Trump administration's decision to exit the Paris accord. Pruitt, who was a chief proponent of the move, claimed that President Donald Trump would  "continue engagement" on the subject. But most of the hearing focused on other issues, with members of both parties driving home the point that Congress will not pass a budget that cuts the EPA's funding by 31 percent and eliminates nearly 50 of the agency's programs."

Marianne Lavelle reports for InsideClimate News June 15, 2017.