The Biden regime just gave the American people the middle finger — figuratively speaking — after handing a choice appointment to an official who could not get confirmed even by the Democrat-controlled Senate due to her climate wackiness.
The Department of the Interior announced that Laura Daniel-Davis, who is currently serving as the deputy assistant secretary of land and minerals management, will be elevated to acting deputy secretary, the second-highest-ranking role in the department, effective immediately.
Daniel-Davis’ nomination was tanked by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for deputy assistant secretary in March after it came to light that she prioritized the far-left climate agenda over America’s energy security.
“The work of the Department of the Interior touches all Americans, and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Acting Deputy Secretary,” Daniel-Davis said in a statement Tuesday, per Fox News. “We will continue to work in partnership with states, Tribes, industry, non-profit organizations and academia to ensure that the best available science guides our decision-making as we deliver on our promises to the American people.”
“Laura has a depth of experience that will be invaluable in our work to build a clean energy future, honor our commitments to Indigenous communities, and leave our air, water and public lands better for future generations,” noted Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who added that there are “few people who have been by my side more over the past two and a half years” than Daniel-Davis.
Fox News added:
She will replace outgoing Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau who was confirmed to the position in a bipartisan Senate vote in June 2021. Beaudreau oversaw a wide range of key DOI initiatives during his tenure and was instrumental in green-lighting a massive oil drilling project in Alaska.
President Biden first nominated Daniel-Davis for the position in June 2021. Since then, she has appeared in two confirmation hearings before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, but has failed two votes for her nomination to be passed to a floor vote as Republicans on the panel have consistently opposed her and expressed concern about her views on energy issues.
“Laura Daniel-Davis is doing everything in her power to make American energy more expensive. During her tenure as Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals, she has undermined our nation’s energy and mineral security. She has continually blocked access to important minerals and restricted oil and gas leasing on federal lands. She is totally opposed to unleashing American energy,” Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“This extreme agenda is the reason that the Energy and Natural Resources Committee twice refused to confirm her nomination. Promoting her to an even more influential position only shows the Biden Administration’s blind devotion to a radical, anti-American energy agenda,” he continued.
Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) filed an ethics complaint against Daniel-Davis earlier this year, alleging she violated federal conflict of interest regulations as well as the Biden administration’s ethics pledge regarding her activity related to shunting oil and gas leasing in Alaska.
“This latest move tells you all you need to know about the priorities of Secretary Haaland and the Department of the Interior,” PPT Director Michael Chamberlain told Fox News on Tuesday.
“Rewarding someone unable to achieve confirmation by the Senate, who is also under the cloud of a current ethics complaint no less, with a promotion to an even higher position, seems like a slap in the face to the American public, its elected representatives, and the Constitution,” he added. “Members of Congress are already demanding an audit of the ethics office at Interior, and rather than treading lightly, they appear to be doubling down.”
