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.
The Finance panel was also expected to approve Mnuchin to become treasury secretary. Democrats have accused Mnuchin of failing to protect homeowners from foreclosures and criticized him for not initially disclosing all his assets.
The Judiciary panel’s vote on Sessions was coming with Democrats and demonstrators around the country in an uproar over Trump’s executive order on refugees. Even some Republicans were warning it could hinder anti-terrorism efforts.
Democrats have questioned Sessions’ devotion to enforcing civil rights laws.
DeVos, a wealthy GOP donor, has long supported charter schools and allowing school choice. That’s prompted opposition from Democrats and teachers’ unions, which view her stance as a threat to federal dollars that support public education.
Critics have mocked her for suggesting that guns could be justified in schools to protect students from grizzly bears. Health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., called her an “excellent” choice.
The full Senate was on track to easily confirm Elaine Chao to become transportation secretary in a mid-day vote.
Chao was labor secretary under President George W. Bush, and is wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. She would be a lead actor in pursuing Trump’s promise to invest $1 trillion to improve highways, rail service and other infrastructure projects.
On Monday evening, the Senate cleared the way for a final vote on Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state. Democrats wanted Tillerson to answer questions about Trump’s ban against entry for people from seven majority Muslim countries, but lost a bid to delay his nomination.
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