Biden Cabinet: Republicans Looking To Block Some Key Appointments

President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Interior Department hasn't appeared before the Senate Energy and Resources Committee. But that is not stopping two Republican senators from attempting to block the confirmation of Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., as the most powerful Native American in government and the first to serve as a Cabinet secretary.

Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming announced Tuesday they will oppose Haaland's confirmation over concerns about Biden's moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal land and the president's decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

Daines said he will try to block Haaland's nomination on the Senate floor following a conversation last week with her.

"After our conversation, I'm deeply concerned with the congresswoman's support on several radical issues that will hurt Montana, our way of life, our jobs and rural America, including her support for the Green New Deal and President Biden's oil and gas moratorium, as well as her opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline," Daines said.

Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe in New Mexico and was elected in November to a second term in the House of Representatives. A hearing has yet to be scheduled by the Energy and Resources Committee.

Also Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced Michael Regan's nomination as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The 14-6 vote included support from all 10 Democrats on the panel along with four Republicans, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Regan was named secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in January 2017 and was known in his state for aggressive stances on cleaning up industrial toxins and helping at-risk communities mitigate the effects of pollution. He would be the first African-American to head the EPA.

Seven of Biden's Cabinet-level nominees have been confirmed, most recently Denis McDonough on Monday as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.