Rick Perry will be the 14th person confirmed to run the Energy Department. Senate confirms Rick Perry as energy secretary The former 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant turned out to be far less controversial than other Trump Cabinet picks that Democrats have resisted.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be President Donald Trump's energy secretary, elevating a nonscientist to oversee nuclear weapons programs, national laboratories, and energy research and development at an agency he once wanted to eliminate.

Perry won support from every Republican and 10 Democrats, including Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, as well as Angus King (I-Maine). The final confirmation vote was 62-37.


Environmentalists and Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer balked at Perry’s nomination, but the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant turned out to be far less controversial than other Trump Cabinet picks that Democrats have resisted such as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Perry also helped smoothed his path by contritely rescinding his pledge to dismantle the Energy Department — uttered during his 2012 presidential campaign — and reversing course on years of comments dismissing climate change science and scientists.

Perry lacks the academic pedigree of his immediate predecessors, Ernest Moniz, Steven Chu and Sam Bodman, each of whom earned doctorates from elite institutions, but he brings substantial management experience from his 14 years running the Lone Star State. Perry’s supporters are quick to point to that tenure to argue that he will be up to the challenge presented by DOE's 17 national labs and 100,000-plus employees and contractors spread across the country.

While Texas is the nation's top producer of oil, natural gas and wind power, Perry has little experience with the work that accounts for two-thirds of DOE's budget: managing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, cleaning up Cold War-era weapons sites and supporting nonproliferation work.

Brian McCormack, an executive at utility trade group Edison Electric Institute and an alum of the George W. Bush administration, is slated to be Perry's chief of staff, a source said.

The Trump administration has yet to announce Perry’s deputy at DOE but several sources have said the job is expected to go to Dan Brouillette, who led the agency’s congressional and intergovernmental affairs office early in the Bush administration, if he clears the necessary background checks. Brouillette's successor in that post was Rick Dearborn, who is now Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy.

Brouillette briefly worked for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Ford Motor Co. In 2006, he joined USAA, where he leads the bank’s government and industry relations shop from Texas. Former DOE officials have praised Brouillette, but tapping him would also mean that neither of the top two DOE officials would have a deep knowledge of the agency's weapons programs.

The remaining third of DOE's nearly $30 billion annual budget supports energy research and development, the creation of efficiency standards for things like air conditioners and the clean energy loan guarantee program that became a flash point in President Barack Obama's first term.

Trump's budget proposal to boost military spending by $54 billion at the expense of discretionary programs could take a big bite out of DOE. While the White House isn't expected to squeeze the agency's nuclear weapons and cleanup programs, DOE's science and so-called applied research programs that specialize in areas like nuclear energy could face significant cuts. The agency's $2.1 billion energy efficiency and renewable energy office, in particular, has long been a target of Republicans.

“During his confirmation hearings, Rick Perry promised to stand up for clean energy," said Jim Marston, the Environmental Defense Fund's vice president for clean energy. "With clean energy on President Trump’s chopping block, we’ll quickly find out if that promise will be Perry’s first 'oops' moment of his tenure at DOE.”

Still, Congress holds the purse strings. While Republicans on Capitol Hill are eager to curb rules run out of the EPA, there’s a deep bench of GOP lawmakers who like DOE programs, particularly if it means jobs back home, research dollars for their state’s universities or funding for decadeslong efforts to clean up national security sites.

"Put it this way: These are just blueprints," Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), who is vice chair of the energy and water subcommittee, said of Trump's overall budget goal. Like Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who leads that panel, Fleischmann has a DOE national lab in his district.

"I'm going to continue to advocate, in my role as vice chairman of the energy and water subcommittee, for our national labs, for the critical missions that we do at Oak Ridge [national lab] ... for our nuclear cleanup missions, and for the Office of Science," he said. "These initiatives are great American initiatives, and I think we will start the process. Obviously, the administration will have a role, but so will the House and Senate appropriators."

DOE isn’t the tower from which Perry can follow through on Trump’s campaign promises to unleash an oil, gas and coal boom by dialing back Obama-era environmental programs.

Most Americans are oblivious to what DOE does. And during his confirmation hearing in January, Perry admitted to his own gaps in knowledge in the agency’s mission.

Perry spoke softly to senators who peppered him with questions on topics ranging from nuclear testing to natural gas exports to cybersecurity. But it was his opening statement disavowing his 2011 promise to eliminate the Energy Department — the name of which he forgot during his famous "oops" incident — that appeared to set the tone for the nearly four-hour hearing.

"My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking," he said. “After being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination.”

That statement appeared aimed at the many energy committee members who fear Perry may slash funding for the agency’s network of 17 national labs and curb DOE's research into renewable energy and climate change. Perry also gave a definitive answer disavowing aspects of a 74-point questionnaire the Trump DOE transition team sent to the agency seeking the names of employees who worked on climate issues, which former Energy Secretary Moniz said unsettled staff.

"I didn’t approve it. I don’t approve of it. I don’t need that information. I don’t want that information. That is not how I manage,” Perry told the committee, noting that the questionnaire went to the agency before Trump selected him to be energy secretary.

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