Share
News

Trump’s Nominee Scores Huge Confirmation by 'Razor-Thin' Margin

Share

President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission survived his confirmation vote Thursday, returning a GOP majority to the powerful federal agency.

Bernard McNamee — Trump’s pick to become a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — won confirmation by a 50-49 vote. The razor-thin margin fell along party lines, with Democrats sharply opposed to his nomination.

The vote brings an end to what became a contentious candidacy for McNamee. Democrats on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee initially took umbrage with his past work in the Department of Energy, where he led an unsuccessful effort to enact a bailout for failing coal and nuclear plants. However, things became worse for McNamee when a controversial video surfaced in late November.

In the footage, McNamee is heard trashing renewable energy, environmentalists and the concept of global warming.

“Renewables, when they come on and off, it screws up the whole the physics of the grid,” he said during a speech in February, during his time working for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The green movement is always talking about more government control because it’s the constant battle between liberty and tyranny.”

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated

McNamee also added that he tells his son to “deny it” if the subject of climate change comes up in his science class.

The video created a wave of backlash from Senate Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer railed against McNamee during a floor speech, every Democratic senator became opposed to his nomination, and a number of environmental groups voiced their opposition.

In a notable reversal, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joined his party in voting against McNamee’s nomination Thursday. The vote was a pivot from earlier in November, where he voted in favor of advancing McNamee through the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Do you think Trump has appointed the right person for the job?

Manchin, who is facing backlash from his party’s environmental base, cited the video as reason for his change of heart.

“After viewing video footage, which I had not previously seen, where Bernard McNamee outright denies the impact that humans are having on our climate, I can no longer support his nomination to be a FERC commissioner,” Manchin said in a statement Wednesday.

Nevertheless, the Republican Senate majority carried McNamee to victory Thursday. He will now join four other commissioners on the panel who oversee the interstate transmission of electricity, oil and natural gas. McNamee, a Republican, will also return a GOP majority to FERC.

The 5-member regulatory panel had previously been under a 2-2 partisan split after former Republican Commissioner Robert Powelson left for a job in the private sector.

Not only will a GOP majority aid the administration in its energy agenda, but McNamee is viewed as much more friendly toward the president’s philosophy on fossil fuels.

Related:
Electric Company Admits Its Role in Igniting Massive Texas Wildfire

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience.

For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

CORRECTTION: This article was originally published with a word missing from the headline: “Trump’s Scores Huge Confirmation by ‘Razor-Thin’ Margin.” We added the missing word, “Nominee,” four days after publication, when we noticed the omission. We apologize for any confusion the original headline might have caused.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Share
Founded by Tucker Carlson, a 25-year veteran of print and broadcast media, and Neil Patel, former chief policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, The Daily Caller News Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing original investigative reporting from a team of professional reporters that operates for the public benefit. Photo credit: @DailyCaller on Twitter




Conversation