Heinrich Statement On Trump Expected Nomination Of Rick Perry As Energy Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump's expected nomination of Rick Perry as head of the U.S. Department of Energy:

“The Department of Energy is New Mexico’s economic lifeblood, and the people who work at our DOE and NNSA Labs are among our nation’s greatest intellectual assets. President-elect Trump has signaled his blatant hostility to the Department and the workforce at our National Labs by nominating someone who has proposed eliminating this entire agency. I'm not confident that Rick Perry is fully cognizant of the role that DOE plays in keeping our nuclear deterrent safe, secure and reliable. He is utterly unqualified to lead this critical agency."