The Senate held a successful test vote Wednesday night to approve David Bernhardt to be President Trump’s next head of the Interior Department.
The cloture vote, 56 to 41, means the Senate can swiftly move to confirm Bernhardt when the Senate returns to session on Thursday morning.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants Bernhardt to be confirmed before the Congress leaves for spring recess on Friday, his office tells the Washington Examiner.
Bernhardt’s test vote moved forward despite Democrats calling on the Senate Republican leadership to delay the vote until a thorough investigation is complete into ethics violations.
Bernhardt has faced intense scrutiny by environmental groups for his ties to the fossil fuel industry as an experienced lobbyist.
Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tom Udall of New Mexico led the charge on the Senate floor ahead of the vote in urging their colleagues not to vote for Bernhardt.
Both senators have requested Interior’s inspector general to investigate if Bernhardt’s lobbying coincided with his appointment as deputy secretary. Trump tapped Bernhardt to serve as acting secretary after former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned amid ethics probes, including using his office for personal gain.
“The Senate should actually take the time of looking into the issue,” especially after the Zinke “ethics horror show,” Wyden said.
He added that he didn’t want to be back on the floor in a matter of months to vote on another Interior secretary after another ethics scandal.
Wyden said Bernhardt is already marred by so many conflicts of interest that it will make it next to impossible for him to do any work as the head of the agency.
“So, the damage has been done, the conflict has been clear,” Wyden said. “He has already taken actions that benefit his former clients.”
