Trump nominees for treasury, interior secretary and EPA chief to face senators – live

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Interior secretary nominee Burgum to back expanded oil and gas drilling on public lands

Doug Burgum, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the interior department, will tell senators at his confirmation hearing today that he supports expanding oil and gas drilling on public lands, Reuters reports.

That will mark a reversal from Joe Biden’s attempts to stop petroleum exploration on public lands as part of his administration’s strategy to reduce the United States’s carbon emissions. Here’s more on what Burgum will promise, from Reuters:

The comments signal a coming sharp turn in policy after President Joe Biden attempted for years to restrict oil and gas drilling by reducing federal lease auctions and banning future development in vast areas of federal offshore waters as part of a strategy to fight climate change.

“Today, America produces energy cleaner, smarter and safer than anywhere in the world. When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand, it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran – whose autocratic leaders don’t care about the environment,” Burgum will tell lawmakers, according to his prepared remarks.

He will say maximizing energy output can lower consumer prices, and can be done while ensuring clean air and water.

The Interior Department oversees millions of acres of lands and offshore waters stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, and leases out parcels for drilling operations that now produce around a quarter of the nation’s oil and gas output.

The United States is already the world’s top oil and gas producer thanks to a years-long drilling boom mainly on private lands in Texas and New Mexico fueled by improved technology and strong world demand since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump nominees for treasury, interior secretary, EPA chief to face senators

Good morning, US politics blog readers. Four more of Donald Trump’s nominees will have their confirmation hearings today, after senators over the past two days questioned Pam Bondi, his pick for attorney general, and Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee, among others. Today, hearings are scheduled for Scott Turner, who has been nominated to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick as Environmental Protection Agency administrator; interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum; and treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. Expect lots of questions from Democrats to Bessent regarding his views on Trump’s vows to impose tariffs on a host of countries, friend and foe alike. We can also expect Burgum to face scrutiny about his views on expanding oil and gas drilling on public lands, a Trump campaign pledge.

Here’s what else is going on today:

• Joe Biden is continuing his presidential farewell, with a ceremony for defense department staff at 2pm. He delivered a goodbye address to the nation yesterday evening.

• The House of Representatives will vote on the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, another Republican-authored bill aimed at undocumented immigrants. This one is targeted at migrants convicted of domestic violence, sexual abuse and related crimes.

• The Gaza ceasefire deal requires approval by Israel’s cabinet, but a last-minute dispute is holding that up. Follow our live blog for more.