Pruitt Upgraded Vehicle With Bullet-Resistant Seat Covers

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt reportedly upgraded his official government car last year to a larger, more costlier model featuring “bullet-resistant covers over bucket seats,” The Washington Post reports. Previous agency chiefs traveled in a Chevrolet Tahoe, and officials had expected Pruitt to use the same vehicle—but he switched to a Chevy Suburban last June. The car’s lease for the first year cost $10,200—with more than $300 per month spent on extras such as leather interiors, WiFi, and GPS navigation. The agency also paid “hundreds of dollars” for “Kevlar-like” car-seat covers as a “security precaution.” A source told the Post that Pruitt wanted the upgrade because the car “was similar to ones in which some other Cabinet officials rode.” The old vehicle has “largely sat idle at EPA’s headquarters” since Pruitt’s upgrade, the report says.