Rick Perry Undergoes Senate Confirmation Hearing for Energy Secretary [Watch]
One day before the inauguration of Donald Trump, former Texas Governor Rick Perry was on Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearing. Last year, Trump nominated Perry to become the head of the Department of Energy.
You can watch the full confirmation hearing in the video above.
Back in 2011, while running for the Republican presidential nomination, Perry said the Department of Energy was one of three federal agencies/cabinet-level positions he would like to see eliminated.
Perry's current feelings toward the federal agency he is seeking to head were addressed in Thursday's hearing.
ABC News reported the following concerning the confirmation hearing:
"My past statements, made over five years ago, about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking," Perry told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. "In fact, after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of the Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination."
But when asked today whether he supports reported budget cuts to the department, Perry said, "I can't answer whether that's true or not," adding that many statements surface on the internet and not all of them are true.
He said he would be an advocate for technologies from the agency that increase America's strength.
The 66-year-old Perry was the longest serving governor in Texas history and he ran for president twice. He could be confirmed as Energy Secretary early as Friday by the Senate.