Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich is warning Chair Mike Lee to wait to schedule a confirmation hearing for Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Energy secretary, until he receives all relevant paperwork.
Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, sent a letter to Lee on Wednesday that urged the Utah Republican to follow the committee’s “longstanding precedence and take seriously your constitutional responsibilities” by sharing final FBI background checks, financial disclosures and an ethics agreement before issuing a notice for a hearing for Wright, the CEO of fracking services company Liberty Energy.
POLITICO previously reported Republicans are planning to hold a hearing for Wright on Jan. 15.
“The American people deserve transparency on the individuals nominated to serve them in the incoming administration,” Heinrich said in a letter to Lee shared exclusively with POLITICO. “As members of the U.S. Senate, you and I have a solemn obligation to fulfill our constitutional duties to advise and consent to these nominees. That cannot happen without the information necessary to properly consider these nominees.”
Heinrich’s protests come after Lee has moved to schedule a Jan. 14 hearing for Interior secretary nominee North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum over the objections of panel Democrats. Heinich said Wednesday that he had not yet received Burgum’s paperwork either.
In a statement earlier Wednesday, Lee said Burgum submitted his paperwork to the Office of Government Ethics last week and accused Heinrich of seeking to delay the North Dakota governor’s hearing.
“I have made every effort to work with our Democratic colleagues, but we won’t give in to delays that undermine the American people’s mandate,” Lee said. “It’s time to move forward and focus on solutions that will unleash America’s full energy potential, and I hope Democrats will work with us to deliver results for the American people.”
Lee told reporters he expects to receive Burgum’s paperwork back from the ethics office before the hearing. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of Wright’s paperwork.