Senate confirms Chris Wright as energy secretary in bipartisan vote

Wright's confirmation was passed with bipartisan support from a handful of Democrats, including Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who admitted the pair disagree on many issues but that Wright was willing to listen to both parties.

Published: February 3, 2025 7:56pm

The United States Senate on Monday night confirmed Chris Wright as Energy secretary in a bipartisan 59-38 vote, making him the latest Cabinet official to pass in the Republican-led Senate.

Wright's confirmation comes after the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination last week. President Donald Trump tapped the Denver-based CEO for the position in November. 

During his confirmation hearing last month, Wright emphasized his support for American energy dominance, and testified on his vision for fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, solar and geothermal.

“I sit in front of you today…because President-elect Trump shares a passion for energy and an instinctual understanding that energy is not a sector of the economy," Wright said. "It's the sector of the economy that enables everything else we do."

Wright's confirmation was passed with bipartisan support from a handful of Democrats, including Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who admitted the pair disagree on many issues but that Wright was willing to listen to both parties.

“He genuinely listens. He gives honest answers. He has pledged he will follow the facts,” the senator told Politico. “In a funny way he is going to give the Senate the chance to have a real debate again on how fast is the climate changing and how do we measure which parts of extreme weather are a part of that.” 

The Senate Agriculture Committee also advanced Brooke Rollins’ nomination to be Agriculture secretary in a unanimous vote on Monday, teeing her up for a full Senate vote.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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