GOP Senators Still Dissatisfied With Interior Nominee’s Answers After 2nd Hearing

Pace of offshore leasing worries Republican lawmakers and industry

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at BancorpSouth Arena on November 1, 2019 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Trump is campaigning in Mississippi ahead of a state gubernatorial election where Republican Tate Reeves is in a close race with Democrat Jim Hood. Reeves won the election. Photo by Brandon Dill/Getty Images

A second Senate committee hearing on the nomination of Laura Daniel-Davis to serve in a key Interior Department post on Feb. 8 did little to allay the concerns of many Republicans.

Daniel-Davis, who previously worked in the Obama administration and as chief of policy and advocacy for the National Wildlife Federation, is currently principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management. If confirmed, she would be elevated to assistant secretary of the interior for land and minerals management.