A Senate committee on Monday night abruptly postponed its scheduled votes Tuesday on President Donald Trump's nominations of Rick Perry and Ryan Zinke to lead the Energy and Interior departments.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee gave no explanation for the postponement, which it said was in effect "until further notice."
During his hearing before the committee last week, Perry — the former governor of Texas who unsuccessfully challenged Trump during the Republican presidential primaries — walked back controversial statements from his past campaigns promising to abolish the Energy Department.
Meanwhile, Zinke, a Republican U.S. representative from Montana, contradicted his would-be new boss during his confirmation hearing, testifying that he accepts the scientific conclusion that climate change is real.
