2018: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Preventing EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt From Taking Any Charter Or First Class
Flights To Implement Legislation On Residential Wood Heaters. In March
2017, Fitzpatrick effectively voted against an amendment that would
have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "clarif[ied] that nothing
in the bill would authorize the administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency to charter a flight, or travel by any air
accommodation above coach class, in order to make certain changes to
rules and guidance documents for the purpose of implementing the bill's
provision regarding standards for residential wood heaters." The
underlying legislation delayed until May 15, 2023, according to
Congressional Quarterly, "EPA's new emissions standards for hazardous
air pollutants from kilns and other facilities that manufacture brick
and structural clay products or clay ceramics, and it delays for three
years (until May 15, 2023) implementation of the second phase of EPA's
performance standards for new residential wood heaters." The vote was on
a motion to recommit. The House rejected the motion by a vote of 186 to
227. [House Vote 98,
3/7/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/7/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/2/18;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1917]
2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Protecting Whistleblowing
Federal Employees Who Disclose Improper Travel By Agency Heads Or
Political Appointees. In October 2017, Fitzpatrick effectively voted
against an amendment that would have, according to Congressional
Quarterly, "extend[ed] the bill's provisions to apply to any federal
employee disclosure regarding the violation of any law or regulation
related to travel by the head of an agency or a political appointee."
The underlying legislation, also according to Congressional Quarterly,
would have "set specific penalties for federal supervisors who retaliate
against an employee who discloses waste, fraud or abuse. It would
[have] require[d] a supervisor to be suspended for at least three
days for an initial offense, and would [have] require[d] a
supervisor to be fired for a second offense. It would also [have]
require[d] the VA to develop a plan to protect the medical records of
employees and would [have] prohibit[ed] VA employees from accessing
medical files for demographic information when another non-medical
database is available." The vote was on a motion to recommit. The House
rejected the motion by a vote of 190 to 232. [House Vote 567,
10/12/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 10/12/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 10/12/17; Congressional
Actions, S.
585]
Then Former HHS Secretary Price Had Been Implicated In A Scandal
Resulting In His Resignation Which Arose From His Use Of Government
Funded Travel. According to NPR, "Health and Human Services
Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday in the face of multiple
investigations into his use of private charter and military jets to
travel around the country at taxpayer expense. Later, the White
House placed new requirements on officials' air travel plans. A
statement released by the White House Friday afternoon said that
Price had 'offered his resignation earlier today and the president
accepted.' [...] The work-related travel, which was first reported
Sept. 19 by Politico, cost taxpayers nearly $1 million, or about
$400,000 for private charters and $500,000 in military airplane
costs. Most of the trips were between cities where inexpensive
commercial flights were also available." [NPR,
9/29/17]
Other Cabinet Secretaries Also Were Under Scrutiny For Similar
Activities. According to Business Insider, "President Donald
Trump's administration is under increasing scrutiny following
reports of the extravagant, taxpayer-funded travels of numerous
White House officials. At least five investigations into Cabinet
officials' use of military and private jets are underway, and have
stoked bipartisan criticism over what some call a culture of
entitlement within Trump's White House. So far, the trips have cost
the government millions of dollars." [Business Insider,
10/10/17]