Barrasso dubs interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland ‘ringleader’ against fossil fuels
GOP senator from Wyoming pans Haaland as 'unprepared' and 'unresponsive' to questions
President Biden’s choice to be America's next interior secretary, Rep. Deb Haaland, R-N.M., has the wrong outlook on U.S. energy, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told “Kudlow” Wednesday.
“She is a cheerleader for the Biden administration,” he said. “And she is really a ringleader against fossil fuel use.”
In her position as a member of the House, Barrasso claimed, Haaland has been open about her aversion to fracking and her belief that carbon-based energy ought to “stay in the ground.”
“She’s gone to North Dakota to protest personally against the Dakota Access Pipeline,” he said. “She is wrong on all of these issues in terms of what we need for our economy and for the energy needs of the American people.”
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As part of her confirmation hearing Wednesday, Barrasso said Haaland seemed “unprepared” to address the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
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“I thought she was unqualified in terms of the way she answered the questions,” he said. “Unresponsive, really unprepared to address the issues that were before us today.”
Barrasso explained that as an consequence of Haaland opposing oil and gas pipelines and supporting the Green New Deal, the country will lose millions of jobs and experience a major increase in energy prices. The senator said he’s especially worried about his home state of Wyoming.
“What the Biden administration is doing is that it seems to be driving a stake through the heart of Wyoming’s economy, the energy economy,” he said. “This whole administration is coming out in ways that are harmful to the economy and to the working men and women of our nation."