WASHINGTON—Republicans pushed President Donald Trump’s nominees to head the Energy and Interior Departments through a Senate panel on Tuesday while other committees moved toward votes on his picks to head agencies in the thick of partisan battles over health care, legal protections, education and the economy.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee quickly approved former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as Energy secretary by 16-7, and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to head Interior by 16-6. But several of his other picks faced more spirited opposition from Democrats.
As the Senate Judiciary Committee worked toward a vote on Sen. Jeff Sessions’ nomination to be attorney general, the panel’s top Republican praised the Alabama Republican.
“He’s a man of integrity,” said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. “He’s a man of his word. And he'll enforce the law, regardless of whether he would’ve supported passage of that law as a legislator.
The Senate Finance Committee was expected to advance Trump’s picks of Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., to be health secretary and Steve Mnuchin, a wealthy former financier, to lead Treasury. And the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was considering conservative activist Betsy DeVos to head the Education Department.
All the nominees had strong Republican support, though final confirmation votes by the full Senate weren’t yet scheduled.
