Heinrich Votes Against Advancing Trump’s Nominees for DOI and DOE
Heinrich to Trump’s DOI and DOE nominees: “Until this Administration respects the will of Congress, I am unable to support its nominees.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, voted no on the nominations of Lanny Erdos to be the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Audrey Robertson to be the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Timothy Walsh to be DOE Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, citing Trump’s nominees’ history of ignoring the will of Congress.
Explaining his no votes to Trump's nominees, Ranking Member Heinrich blasted previous nominees’ promises to respect the will of Congress during hearings, “then, after they are confirmed, they have withheld funds that we have appropriated, they have canceled programs that we have established, they have closed offices that we have created, and they pursued policies that we have never approved.”
A video of Heinrich’s opening remarks is here.
A transcript of Heinrich’s remarks as delivered is below:
Turning now to today’s agenda item, let me simply say that, under the first Trump Administration, I would have been able to support all three of these nominees.
But we have had nominee after nominee come before this Committee and assure us that they would follow the law and respect the will of Congress.
Then, after they are confirmed, they have withheld funds that we have appropriated, they have canceled programs that we have established, they have closed offices that we have created, and they pursued policies that we have never approved.
Until this Administration respects the will of Congress, I am unable to support its nominees, and I will vote no on all three as a result.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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