The Senate energy committee postponed key votes Tuesday to confirm two members of President Trump’s energy and environment team without explanation.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced the delay late Monday night, only hours after announcing the business meeting to take up the votes.The two nominees who would have been voted on Tuesday included former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for energy secretary and Rep. Ryan Zinke for Interior. One week ago, the energy committee held Zinke’s first confirmation hearing. Perry faced questions on Thursday. One theory as to why the committee canceled its votes may have been word from the White House on Trump’s Tuesday decision to sign executive orders approving the contentious Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. The energy committee must confirm the nominees before they can go before the full Senate.
The committee did not respond to emails for a response. A committee notice said the votes would be delayed until further notice.
