After voting to DRASTICALLY cut the EPA budget, Rep. McSally asks the EPA why they aren't doing their jobs

Naco, AZ resident Gerald Everwein shows Rep. McSally sewage from Mexico on his property

While visiting the border town of Naco, AZ,  Representative Martha McSally witnessed first hand the raw sewage flowing through the current border wall. After voting to approve funding for Trump's wall (that waives important environmental regulations designed to protect our water) and then voting to approve a 500 million dollar budget cut for the EPA, Rep. McSally (along with Senators McCain and Flake) had the gall to send the following letter to the EPA Acting Regional Administrator:

Dear Acting Regional Administrator Strauss,

We write to address reports that the cities of Naco, Arizona and Bisbee, Arizona have been subject to years of unmitigated raw sewage flowing from Naco, Sonora, Mexico, an issue that is yet to be resolved. This flow of sewage poses a health, safety, and economic risk to Arizona’s vulnerable border towns, and we are greatly concerned about the lack of response of the federal agencies tasked with the oversight of this issue.

We believe that this uncontrolled effluent is positioned to contaminate the agriculture, livestock, and drinking water supply of these communities. We seek more information about the situation in question and what the EPA has done to address the environmental impact of this spill. Please answer the following questions:

What responsibility does the EPA have in the monitoring and mitigation of such spills?

How long has the EPA been aware of the effluent spill in Naco, Arizona and Bisbee, Arizona?

What steps have been taken by the EPA to resolve this issue in the many years that the spill has breached Arizona’s borders?

What steps has the EPA been taken to assist the community in their rehabilitation of the impacted areas?

Has the EPA worked with other relevant agencies or conducted internal investigations to study the public health, safety, and economic implications of this spill?

Arizona’s border communities are uniquely situated to rely on organizations, like yours, to coordinate even their most essential functions, such as sanitation or flood mitigation. The economic impact of slow-moving bureaucracy can not only be damaging, but devastating, to our constituents. Between the flooded farms of Naco, Arizona and the broken pipeline in Nogales, Arizona, it is clear to us that coordination and communication between federal organizations and the communities they serve must be improved. We look forward to reviewing your answers and working towards a solution for all parties involved.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senator

Jeff Flake
United States Senator

Martha McSally
United States Representative

I'm left speechless. No, I'm not. We need to send Rep. McSally, Sen. McCain and Sen. Flake a few letters of our own.