The Senate voted, 54 to 46, on Thursday to advance President Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.
The vote sets up a final confirmation for Pruitt that could come Friday afternoon. Senate Republicans have said senators should be ready to vote on the nomination late tomorrow, even though senators usually don’t work on Friday.
Thursday’s procedural vote came after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell rejected Democrats’ request to delay it. Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Tom Carper, D-Del., said Thursday that his request to push back the vote was declined.
Carper took to the floor to make a last ditch request that the senators reject Pruitt’s nomination, citing the attorney general’s attempts to upset environmental protection rules meant to deal with climate change. Carper said “six hours from right now an expedited hearing will take place” at the Oklahoma district court on a request to release over 3,000 emails from industry groups that the Democrats believe will show Pruitt’s allignment with the fossil energy industry.
Carper said Democrats asked the court “to move forward expeditiously.”
