Full committee business meeting.
The purpose of the business meeting is to consider the matters on the attached agenda and short list. These are the listed nominations and an amendment to Rule 6(b) of the Committee’s Rules. The change in Rule 6(b) is necessary for the Committee’s Rules to remain in compliance with the Rules of the Senate with respect to the quorum necessary to report legislation and nominations.
Agenda:
- Amendment of Rule 6(b) of the Committee Rules to establish reporting quorum (the committee now has 20 members instead of 19, so a majority is 11, not 10).
- Nomination of the Honorable Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior
- Nomination of Mr. Christopher A. Wright to be Secretary of Energy
- An Original Resolution to provide for the funding of the Committee for the 119th Congress
Doug Burgum, whose nomination hearing was January 16th, was reported favorably by the committee by a vote of 18-2.
Sens. Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) were the only no votes; Democrats Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) voted with the 11 Republicans in favor.
Chris Wright, whose nomination hearing was January 15th, was reported favorably by the committee by a vote of 15-5. (The clerk incorrectly verbally reported the vote as 15-6.)
Sens. Wyden, Hirono, Cantwell, Cortez-Masto, and Padilla voted no. Democrats Heinrich, Kaine, Hickenlooper, and Gallego voted with the 11 Republicans in favor.
01/23/2025 at 09:30AM