Heinrich Opposes Confirmation Of Rick Perry For Secretary of Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) voted against the confirmation of the former governor of Texas Rick Perry, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Department of Energy Secretary.

Heinrich made the following statement: 

“Since the Trump Administration took office, we have seen executive order after executive order that ignores the will of the American people. While Governor Perry walked back his intent to eliminate the Department of Energy, the Trump Administration almost simultaneously floated plans for deep budget cuts that threaten critical missions there.  And after having Secretary Mattis tell us he opposed the Muslim ban and Director Pompeo state his opposition to torture – we saw this administration move forward with both.   

“I appreciate Governor Perry’s responsiveness and acknowledge that this nominee will move forward and that I want – and we all need – him to be successful. But his past statements on eliminating the Department, an unwillingness to commit to the applied energy research and climate science done at our national labs and universities, and the transition team questionnaire that attacked the integrity of climate scientists all signal where the Trump Administration is headed. 

"Given these troubling signs, paired with Trump nominees thus far having said one thing and the Administration doing another, I cannot give Governor Perry the benefit of the doubt.  With 25,000  New Mexicans contributing to these important Department of Energy missions, we cannot have any doubts about a nominee’s willingness or ability to defend the agency and its work.”