---
title: "Taxpayers Bought EPA Chief Scott Pruitt a Fancy Chevrolet Suburban With Bullet-Resistant Seats"
description: "According to documents surfaced by the Washington Post, Pruitt upgraded his official government vehicle to a Chevrolet Suburban with bullet-resistant seat covers last year amidst a security spending binge."
date: "2018-04-17"
modified: "2018-04-18"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/20195/taxpayers-bought-epa-chief-scott-pruitt-a-fancy-chevrolet-suburban-with-bullet-resistant-seats"
categories:
  - "Chevrolet News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Chevrolet"
  - "EPA"
  - "Government"
  - "Scott Pruitt"
  - "Spending"
  - "Suburban"
  - "suv/crossover"
  - "Tahoe"
---

# Taxpayers Bought EPA Chief Scott Pruitt a Fancy Chevrolet Suburban With Bullet-Resistant Seats

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/ap_18088708379559.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt isn't exactly [the most popular man](<https://www.thedrive.com/opinion/19872/the-fix-is-in-trump-and-epa-will-gut-tougher-mileage-and-pollution-rules>) in Washington these days. And it would appear he knows the value of protecting his behind; according to documents [surfaced by the *Washington Post,*](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/17/pruitt-upgraded-to-a-larger-customized-suv-with-bullet-resistant-seat-covers/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6b452f9f1b96>) Pruitt upgraded his official government vehicle to a [Chevrolet Suburban](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/15836/2018-chevrolet-suburban-lt-review-the-original-canyonero-is-a-little-long-in-the-tooth>) with bullet-resistant seat covers last year amidst a security [spending binge.](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-pruitt/u-s-government-watchdogs-slam-trump-cabinet-on-spending-idUSKBN1HN287>)

Former EPA administrators made due with [a lowly Tahoe,](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/15038/up-where-we-belong-the-2018-chevy-tahoe-custom-conquers-the-high-desert-of-nevada>) but Pruitt opted to move up to the larger Suburban after a few months on the job reportedly because "it was similar to ones in which some other Cabinet officials rode," an unnamed official told the newspaper. The Suburban LT—itself an upgrade over the usual LS models procured by the government—has a leather interior, navigation, and yes, "Kevlar-like seat covers" that most definitely aren't [a normal dealer option.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/5294/mercedes-maybach-unveils-super-bulletproof-s600-pullman-guard-limousine>)

[The one-year lease](<https://www.usaspending.gov/#/award/14284862>) was signed last spring at a cost of $839 per month, which the government covered with a one-time payment of $10,200. All the while, the EPA has also maintained the lease on the former administrator's Tahoe that Pruitt used at first, which costs $9,000 per year and now sits in a garage at the Washington, D.C. headquarters. And the [*Washington Post* found out](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/17/pruitt-upgraded-to-a-larger-customized-suv-with-bullet-resistant-seat-covers/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6b452f9f1b96>) that Pruitt's office just signed [a *third* lease](<https://www.usaspending.gov/#/award/64960903>) on a second Suburban, which cost taxpayers another 10 grand.

![message-editor%2F1523998071835-2018-chevroletsuburban-002.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1523998071835-2018-chevroletsuburban-002.jpg>)
*Pictured: A fancy Suburban., *Chevrolet**

So, that's nearly $30,000 a year for a fleet of Chevrolet SUVs—at least one of which has bullet-resistant seat covers, don't forget. EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox told the *Post* that officials would look into the the lease overlap, but defended the security decisions as necessary.

"Security decisions are made by EPA’s Protective Service Detail and are similar to security protocol across the federal government," he wrote [in a statement to the paper.](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/17/pruitt-upgraded-to-a-larger-customized-suv-with-bullet-resistant-seat-covers/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6b452f9f1b96>)

The "Kevlar-like" covers reportedly cost hundreds of dollars to buy and install, an expense that was approved by Protective Service Detail head Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta. Other projects pushed by Perrotta, who has also [been criticized for overspending,](<https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/12/pruitt-epa-security-chief-spending-pasquale-perrotta-480825>) include the notorious $43,000 soundproof phone booth in Pruitt's office and the first-class-only travel policy.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)