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Panel gives EPA pick one-sided approval
No Democrats are present for Senate committee vote on Scott Pruitt.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans pushed Scott Pruitt’s nomination to the Environmental Protection Agency through committee Thursday, using a procedural maneuver for the third time this week to ignore Democrats and send one of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees to the Senate floor.
Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee suspended the panel’s rules and approved Pruitt on Thursday morning, with 11 votes in favor and none opposed. Democrats did not show up.
“It’s disappointing (Democrats) chose that course of action, but we will not allow it to obstruct,” Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said of the boycott. “The minority wants political theater. The nation needs a new EPA administrator.”
Democrats accused Pruitt of stonewalling their requests for additional information. “We still have not received the relevant documents and the substantive answers we’ve requested from Mr. Pruitt,” Ranking Member Tom Carper, D-Del., said in a statement after the vote.
The drama on Capitol Hill is unfolding at a time when Democrats, under intense pressure from liberal activists, have become increasingly emboldened to block Trump’s agenda and appointees.
Democrats were enraged by the administration’s executive order issued over the weekend to bar travel to the United States by people from seven majority-Muslim countries. They were further galvanized by the firing of acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was dismissed for refusing to enforce the ban.
Some Democrats were also angered by the president’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on Tuesday night, arguing that Republicans cannot expect them to swiftly approve the selection after their blockade of then-President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland.
Democrats’ committee boycotts are not expected to bar any Trump nominees from confirmation. But Trump’s pick for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, is encountering head winds in the form of opposition from two GOP senators.
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and Susan Collins, Maine, signaled Wednesday they do not plan to support DeVos, leaving Democrats one vote shy of the number needed to doom her nomination. Both senators cited uncertainty about whether DeVos, an avid supporter of charter schools and school vouchers, is sufficiently committed to helping public schools.
Republicans this week also advanced the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general, and they finalized confirmation of former Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson for secretary of state by a vote of 56 to 43.
With Tillerson, six highranking Trump nominees have been approved by the full Senate: Elaine Chao as transportation secretary; retired generals John Kelly and James Mattis at the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon; Mike Pompeo to lead the CIA; and Nikki Haley to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
When Democrats boycotted a Senate Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, Republicans reacted by suspending the rules in order to approve Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as health and human services secretary. Their nominations now head to the Senate floor for up-or-down votes, although it is unclear when they will occur.
“Republicans on this committee showed up to do our jobs. Yesterday, rather than accept anything less than their desired outcome, our Democrat colleagues chose to cower in the hallway and hold a press conference,” Hatch said.
Separately, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday approved Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., to lead the Office of Management and Budget on a vote of 8 to 7. Among the yes votes was Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had suggested he might vote against Mulvaney given his stance on curtailing defense spending. On Thursday, McCain said he voted for Mulvaney to allow a full Senate debate on his nomination, but warned that he continues to have concerns about it.
The Senate Committee on the Budget, which also holds sway over the nomination, also approved Mulvaney on Thursday morning on a party-line vote of 12-11.
“Democrats are going to keep fighting back,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “We are going to stand with people across the country. And we will keep pushing Republicans to put country above party and stand with us.”