washington journal, beginning live at 7:00 a.m. east sunday morning area joined the russian. morning. join the discussion. this congress is going to be the busiest congress we have had in decades. beats, it upthis -- this speech, democratic response. live tuesday 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span and c-span.org. listen live on the free c-span radio app. next, scott pruitt talks about his new role as head of the environmental protection agency. from the annual conservative, cpac, this is 25 minutes. [applause] tott pruitt: it is so good

be back at cpac. this is one of my favorite times of the year ended is good use filing -- and it is good to see you smiling. for the first time in history, the vice president and the president of the united states at cpac.the people -- and i understand the president hit it out of the park as he came in yesterday. speaking of headed out of the park, i think many of you know that i love baseball. there is an old saying by ovi eodack, it's the future -- erra -- the future isn't what it used to be. is nothing as important as who is going to be sitting on the united states supreme court in 2017. the future is not what used to be. we have a great individual nominated by the president of

the united states, he will be confirmed, and he will transform the court. we should be excited about that. [applause] scott pruitt: think about how you felt. think about how you felt that the health care, the formal care act -- obamacare, the formal care act. the future is not what it used to be. congress is on the way to revealing the affordable care act. we shouldent is just be excited about that and know we have hopes and optimism that changes on the way. inc. about what you're going for with security and immigration. how many did a president to lead to make sure that we took seriously enforcing the borders, took seriously making national security is advanced. the future is not what it used to be. i will tell you, as a start this week -- last friday i was sworn in as the epa administrator. [applause] as i was sworn in

as the epa administrator, i began, this week, leaving that agency. i will tell you the future is not what it used to be at the epa. [applause] scott pruitt: maybe for the first time ever, at least in a long time, that agency counseling agencies across the federal government, are going to -- we are going to do business as you should as administrative agency, an executive, because you know this. sees only have power that congress has given them. they cannot make it up as they go, fill in the blank, or say we are going to go forward without congress speaking. so leading the epa, sending that message across our agency, i have emphasized three very important things as they started leading the epa. number one, we are going to pay attention to the process. rulemaking matters. consentt going to have degrees, and leave the agency in bypasses rulemaking.

we are going to do the work that congress has said we must do to dance those issues. process matters. real engaged in rulemaking, make sure that we do not use the words to regulate, we are going to do so with the keen attention to the role of law. rule of law matters. sometimes we talk about rule of law, we think it is some academic or legal concept. it is not. there is a phrase that i love to use -- the law is about the king. and world law is applied, it --to those are expected of them. conduct and pay attention to the rule of law because we want to make sure that we operate within the freedom the congress has

provided us. to operate within the framework of the wall, and not outside the wall. matters, rule of law matters, and let me tell you this. what really matters a lot is federalism. once again --o once again pay attention to the states across this country. i believe the people in oklahoma, texas, indiana, ohio, new york, and california, all the states across the country, they care about the air they breathe and the water they drink. they are going -- we will partner with those individuals, not adversaries. epa will be a partner to make restore environmental issues and the notion of frontal realism -- federalism in our government. this will be the heart of how we -- cpa.ess at the 80 the future is not what it used to be at the epa. [applause]

tom perez: best scott pruitt: as we look forward to the next four years, we should recognize that we have hope and optimism. and see ang to go out trajectory, a new day of freedom. there are certain times in history, certain times in history when you are living them, you know the time you are living is not just going to the present generation, the generations in the future. veryrld war ii, it was a important time to generations. 1980 was one of those. we know the reagan revolution brought about potential change this country -- substantial change to this country. i will you come 2017 is a time -- how you, 2017 is the time to set history into the future. we'll set the power back to the people and recognize that the

regulatory state needs to be main -- reigned in. and we're going to do the work to dance freedom and liberty in the future. it is an exciting time. whole the pack -- so our hope is, as we closed the night of cpac, we have a lot of work to do. that are a lot of changes need to take place to restore a commitment to rule of law and process and federalism, but we have already begun. as you go out into the rest of the country, know this. the folks in washington dc have a new attitude. areattitude is no longer we going to dictate to those across the country and tell them how to live each and every day, we will empower citizens and the states. ands the idea of federalism believing in liberty. we are going to believe in the constitution and do the work

that is provided in washington dc. [applause] scott pruitt: i look forward to coming to see the new states as as we dealse changes with the water of the united states, clean power plants, rollback the reservoir torry states. we are going to do this in ohio, pennsylvania, all across the country, and celebrate with you as we make those changes. i look forward to a prosperous and exciting next four years. god bless you. [applause] >> very well done. how -- can tell you all are very excited by him. i find a certain irony here. i still fans, those who kind of

hope that administrator pruitt will make the epa go away? [applause] how does it feel to be here today with everyone hoping that the very agency you are running is going to go away, literally? scott pruitt: it is justified. as we look at the last several years from the agency is being tasked to impact our country in ways we never could have imagined eight years ago. jobs have been impacted, the that washington dc has come to be assumption it accumulation of power, they have taken advantage of that. i think it is justified. the epa likeok at they do the irs. i want to change that and change that consistent with the principles we talked about. >> there are a few things you may or may not know about, but

you have your hands full. scott pruitt: i do know that. grants $4 billion per year. $84,000 to the university of michigan to study -- you will love this -- and effectiveness -- the effectiveness of using churches to promote environmental causes. $1.5 million went to the university of colorado to study pollution caused by residential cooking in africa. that is an important use of your tax dollars. and last but not least, a unitarian church received an soironmental justice grant, your baseball guy, right? myave had to use some of

baseball's that these -- studies for this forum. oklahomaust a guy from , ricky metal. you're probably a huge fan of him. he was third on the home run your favorite baseball player, all-time hit record holder. all of comes to cutting the regulation, are you going to be more like the guy with lots of hits and undo it a bit of a time, or are you going to go for those home runs? scott pruitt: it is good to do both? hits him out of the park and move them down the field. i think it is both. there are some regulations that need to be rolled back in a very aggressive way, and next week you may be hearing about some of those. [applause] we know what those

are. we know with the previous thenistration, they took clean water act and made puddles and dry creek bed the subject of the jurisdiction of washington dc. i think there will be some big steps taken to address some of those regulations, and some singles and doubles as well. you locked in that day with a lot of people wondering if they would have jobs. the number one thing people want to ask you is how much we cannot -- cut from the epa budget? people are suggesting we take it down to 90%. that by 90%. -- by 90%. scott pruitt: i think in the near term, the most important thing we can focus upon at the

epa is getting it all right. making sure the regulations that are posted and adopted by the agency are consistent with the rule of law and congressional mandates, and rollback those who are inconsistent from the previous administration. that is the work in the near term. long-term, asking the questions on how that agency partners with the state and how it affects the budget and structures is something we will work on diligently. clyde tate on the other side, you can clap for that answer. [applause] see what my time is, someone way that me when i do to shut up. the issue of climate change is brought up over and over again, you have been grilled on this mercilessly >>. -- mercilessly. scott pruitt: i didn't recognize anyone on my confirmation hearing. quote,thing i love to

you said "if it is possible to minimize the rises of climate change, it is also the same exact duration should go for if people are under were overestimated the problems of climate change. you also said the climate is changing and human activity contributes to that in some manner. what is that manner? scott pruitt: we don't know. that is the difficulty with this issue. two measurement precision that that iss something difficult to do. but let's not forget something. the tools in the toolbox, the last several years has been focused on whether the climate is changing and humans are contributing to it and the scientific review of that. but there are a lot of another -- other questions that are not being asked. if it is happening, what can we do about it? , theyes can't make it up

cannot just say we will go forward your spectacle of congress has spoken. remember, administrative agencies like eva, they are an executive ranch. toy exist -- epa, they exist enforce the law. if congress has not spoken, the movetive branch cannot forward. it is about rule of law and making sure that agencies across federal government are empowered to do the things that they need to do. [applause] >> so president trump has his 100-day plan. tech upyou want to first? scott: what has been the greatest impediment much mark elster, energy, it is what?

uncertainty. agencies acting in a way that the statute says one thing but we are going to do the opposite. that cannot continue. to send a message across the country that we are going to provide certainty by living within the framework congress has passed. clean power plants, the methane role, we have plenty to say grace over. gina: to exactly, i love that. you described what it was like to walk in that first day and have people, whatever. you were controversial. i said to you -- this is a homecoming year. it seems like here's is been here forever, we'll love him this love is flipping others on their head for other audiences.

so tell me what you shared with your optimism of the people you have to work with. scott: from day one, sharing as a person. how i believe is a leader, whether you are leading the epa or a business, you have to listen and learn and then make decisions. i wanted to send a message, there are various important things the epa does that cross state lines. superfunder 1300 sites that have been put on a national priority list like the one in portland, oregon. then the water issues with resolve to the -- with respect to the epa cleaning up water. so there is very important work. what has happened in the last several years as the previous administration was so focused on climate change that other

priorities were left behind. we as republicans do not have anything to be apologetic about with respect to the environment. nothing. we have always believed you can grow jobs, grow economies by to the good steward environment. we can do both. gina: one of the most interesting facts that may be -- that maybe many of you know, when you were in the general, you sued the state 14 times. scott: exactly. it came up in the confirmation hearing a few times. [chuckling] scott ask yourself, why would the country sued the epa? because it was acting against the statute. saying, we are going to

duplicate that enforce ourselves across the state. do you know and you probably do because you study the this morning, this is a fact. president bush, president clinton, president bush to issued something called federal implementation plan. five times. in three administrations. this last administration, president obama did it 56 times in eight years. what does that say? it senses. administration -- did not respect congress, did not respect statutes, did not respect law. when you do that, what happens? you get sued. we not only sued, we won. we stopped it. guess what that means? as president, who is leading this race and who is expressing

brave action to fix it, i am so thankful. i am so thankful i have that kind of leader. we at the epa will get all of this fixed now. [applause] journey when it has come to an end for you in terms of this job, what do you want it to look like? what do you want that legacy to be? a lot of that. right now when you visualize what your accomplishments will look like, what do you want to be said about you? scott: i want the younger generation and the millennials, they brought an argument and narrative that says we cannot be pro-energy and row and environment. but we can. we can as a nation and we always have been. we have a mutually

exclusive approach, pro-energy, anti-environment, what that means is we have been used to serve political ends. we as a nation are better than that. day comesnever the that i leave the epa, i hope the people in this country recognize we are better than nations across the globe because we do both. grow jobs like in ohio, west virginia, pennsylvania and we take care of the water, the air, the future for our children. that's what needs to happen. great point.e a a lot of this is messaging. your greatest value is marketing in some ways because getting popular opinions and regulations change, that to

messaging. how can the people here at cpac help you take that message to their peers. their work environment. there are schools as they go back into the real world. another key term, nowe is this trust right that exist between the trust and thisashington -- there is distrust right now that exists between the states and washington, d.c. time in westend virginia, ohio, and other with governors and constituents. i will send a message. let's join a arm in arm. let's restore trust and let's understand that you and that state believe in clean air, clean water and i believe that within this eight years we are going to have better air quality, better watered equality

because we will be invested what? a partnership. a partnership that exists constitutionally and legally. in hopefully it will be measurable as well. gina: very measurable. we have a lot to look forward to with you. scott: that's right. the future ain't what it used to be. [chuckling] [applause] announcer: next, political analysts discuss what the trump presidency means for both the democraticand parties. speakers include byron york and susan page. this is also part of cpac. it is 35 minutes. >> well that