Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersProgressives rave over Harrison’s start at DNC Zombie Tax punishes farmers to fill DC coffers Progressives threaten to block bipartisan infrastructure proposal MORE (I-Vt.) joined several GOP senators to oppose President Biden
Joe BidenMellman: Trump voters cling to 2020 tale FDA authorizes another batch of J&J vaccine Cotton warns of China collecting athletes’ DNA at 2022 Olympics MORE’s nominee for the No. 2 role at the Interior Department in a procedural vote Wednesday.
Sanders joined with eight GOP senators against a vote to limit debate on Tommy Beaudreau’s nomination for deputy Interior secretary, while 89 senators voted in Beaudreau’s favor.
The move doesn’t guarantee that Sanders will ultimately oppose Beaudreau’s confirmation, but cloture votes often preview how senators will ultimately vote.
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Spokespeople for Sanders did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Beaudreau has faced some scrutiny from progressive groups over his ties to oil giant Total and multinational mining company BHP. The nominee also has ties to the offshore wind industry.
Beaudreau is seen as a more moderate compromise for deputy Interior secretary after the White House pulled back its initial pick for the role, Elizabeth Klein.
Klein’s shot at the job was spiked amid reported concerns from Senate moderates that she was too progressive. She is now a senior counselor to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
Deb HaalandOvernight Energy: Schumer to trigger reconciliation process Wednesday | Bipartisan bill would ban ‘forever chemicals’ in cosmetics | Biden admin eyes step toward Trump-era proposal for uranium reserve The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden on Putin: ‘a worthy adversary’ New Mexico Democrat Stansbury sworn into Haaland’s old seat MORE.
Asked to respond to criticism over his fossil work during his confirmation hearing, Beaudreau said he accepts the criticism of the past work, adding that it “comes with holding these roles.”
He also said that he’s “a little bewildered” by some of the criticism because of “what I believe was a very strong track record during the Obama administration on conservation,” as well as what he described as his “tough but … fair-minded” reputation as a regulator.
