(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Revolving Door Project wants Democrats to go beyond 'perfunctory resistance' on Trump nominees [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Daily Kos Staff Emeritus']

Date: 2025-01-14

The Revolving Door Project watchdogs the U.S. executive branch in an effort to make sure officeholders serve the public interest, as opposed to further entrenching corporate power or promoting personal advantage.

One of RDP’s current efforts is scrutinizing the nominees the Donvict-Elect has chosen and coming up with tough questions to ask them. On Monday, RDP challenged Democratic lawmakers for "perfunctory resistance." Julia Conley reports:

Jeff Hauser, executive director of Revolving Door Project (RDP), acknowledged that with Republicans now holding 53 seats in the Senate and the Democratic Party holding 45, "Democrats do not have the votes to kill any of these nominations." "But they do have the ability to begin drawing attention to the cronyism that will inevitably appear from within the Trump administration. Contrary to the party's current position, being able to say 'I told you so' is helpful to future success," said Hauser. Democrats aren't ensuring they'll have the ability to say that, Hauser warned, as they signal little resistance "to the few Trump nominees so brazenly offputting that they draw nearly uniform skepticism."

K.J.Boyle at RDP writes:

Confirmation hearings for Trump’s nominees begin this week, giving Senate Democrats the opportunity to expose the cronyism and corporate-backing undergirding his picks. As my colleague Hannah Story Brown wrote in this newsletter last week, the oil and gas industry got a return on their massive investment in Trump’s campaign, handpicking Chris Wright as Energy Secretary and Doug Burgum to head the Interior Department. These picks were chosen for a simple reason—they will allow corporate interests to run roughshod over the public and environment, accelerating how climate change is devastating people in undeniably tangible ways. This fact needs to be front and center of each nominee’s hearing. Unfortunately, reporting from NOTUS indicates that some Senators will not be combative, with John Fetterman saying his “plan is to listen” and Cory Booker saying, “we’re not looking to make this partisanship or tribalism.” The problem is that Trump’s picks are partisan, chosen for their loyalty both to him and the moneyed interests they’ll ostensibly be tasked with overseeing. Now is not the time to sit back and listen. It’s time to make a big stink about how unqualified and dangerous these nominees are, and explain how that will translate to real world consequences that harm everyday people.

Among the nominees RDP has so far commented upon is Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor that Trump has picked to run the Department of Interior, a sprawling operation that includes everything the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. His hearing is supposed to happen Thursday. Here’s RDP’s take:

Coal Industry Handouts While Mercury Pollution Harms Children “As governor of North Dakota, you opposed a rule from the federal EPA requiring coal plants to reduce their air pollution, including mercury emissions. You previously signed a bill exempting coal plants in North Dakota from having to pay an estimated $100 million dollars in taxes over five years. The EPA said that its rule limiting mercury emissions would reduce fatal heart attacks, cancer, and developmental delays in children. Why do you think that the coal industry should be given handouts and allowed to make people sick?” Supporting Land Seizures Via Eminent Domain for Dangerous Carbon Pipelines “You have been a vocal supporter of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would transport carbon dioxide across Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The firm of your close political ally, Harold Hamm, committed to invest $250 million in the pipeline. Many landowners are opposed to the project using eminent domain to seize their land for the pipeline’s construction, but you have said eminent domain is necessary to get big projects built. Residents are also concerned about leaks from carbon pipelines, which are highly dangerous and can cause asphyxiation and lasting health issues, or even be lethal. Despite the fact that the federal government has yet to finalize safety regulations for carbon dioxide pipelines, you have been a major advocate for this project, and have advocated for weakening or repealing federal regulations. Do you think that Midwestern landowners’ concerns about having a carbon pipeline running through their backyards are unfounded?” Opposition To Curbing Methane Leaks On Public Lands “While governor of North Dakota, your state sued the federal Interior Department opposing a rule requiring gas drillers who were drilling on federal and tribal lands to cut down on methane leaks. In a 2024 statement, you said that the rule was ‘harmful and unnecessary.’ Do you believe that the federal government should not be allowed to limit pollution and protect clea

You can read and subscribe RDP’s newsletter here.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/14/2296904/-Revolving-Door-Project-wants-Democrats-to-go-beyond-perfunctory-resistance-on-Trump-nominees?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/