The union representing 1000 Environmental Protection Agency employees in the Midwest demanded that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt visit EPA Region 5 headquarters in Chicago during his trip to the area on Wednesday to meet with employees and discuss the devastating cuts he and the Trump administration have proposed. American Federation of Government Employees Local 704 President Michael Mikulka said the union was sending Pruitt a formal invitation to join Region 5 EPA employees for lunch in Chicago. “Since Administrator Pruitt plans to visit the area, he must also come to the Chicago EPA headquarters. Hundreds of EPA employees work just a 30 minute drive from where he will be,” said Mikulka. “He should sit down with the EPA employees and answer their questions about how these cuts will impact their work, and the environment.” Administrator Pruitt has been the main proponent of the Trump administration’s proposed 31 percent across the board EPA cuts, including plans to completely eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and to slash funding for many other critical environmental protection programs in Region 5. Over the weekend, reports emerged that Pruitt planned to shutter Region 5 entirely. “From the soil contamination in East Chicago to the water contamination in Flint, our efforts need more resources–not less,” said Mikulka. “We hope Administrator Pruitt will accept our invitation. The stakes are too high for him to avoid hearing from the front line engineers, scientists and other workers who make sure our drinking water and the air we breathe are safe for all Americans.”