A Senate panel has voted to put a former Washington lobbyist in charge of the Interior Department despite intense debate among senators over his links to former clients.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 14-6 Thursday to approve David Bernhardt's appointment to oversee the country's public lands and resources. Two Democrats and one independent joined Republicans in voting yes. The vote sends President Donald Trump's nomination to the full Senate.
Bernhardt currently serves as acting secretary. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon cited new allegations in a New York Times article that Bernhardt was shaping Interior decisions in favor of a former lobbying client — a powerful California water district — in urging the committee to withhold approval.
Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, calls the allegations unsubstantiated.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.
“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”
During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.
Some, however, weren’t convinced.
“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.
An ExxonMobil spokesperson did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.
Also on Friday, Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings.
The executive order, made public on Saturday, says that if the funds were to be seized for such use, it could “undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.” Venezuela has a history of state asset seizures, ongoing U.S. sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.
Getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help rebuild the country’s infrastructure is a top priority of the Trump administration after Maduro's capture.
The White House is framing the effort to “run” Venezuela in economic terms, and Trump has seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, has said the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and plans to control sales worldwide indefinitely.
Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
