The US Senate confirmed Dan. R. Brouillette’s nomination to be US Energy Secretary on Dec. 2 by 70 to 15 votes, with 15 members not voting.
Republicans and several Democrats supported the nomination. Democrats Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Catherine Cortez-Masto (Nev.), Maisie K. Hirono (Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Edward J. Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Charles E. Schumer (New York), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), and Ronald A. Wyden (Ore.) voted no.
Responding to the vote, Spencer Abraham, who was US Energy Secretary from 2001 to 2005 and now is a senior government advisor at Blank Rome Government Relations LLC in Washington, said Brouillette will be an outstanding energy secretary for the US at a critical time.
“His experience at DOE, on Capitol Hill, and in the international energy community makes him uniquely suited to address today’s energy challenges,” Abraham said. The two men worked closely at DOE when Abraham was secretary and Brouillette was assistant secretary for congressional and international affairs from 2001 to 2003 and during Brouillette’s time as staff director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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