At least one Biden nominee got the support of Oklahoma Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford.
He was Michael Connor who was confirmed on a 92-5 vote as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works overseeing the regulatory and infrastructure programs at the Army Corps of Engineers. As such, he will be in charge of the Army Corps of Engineers non-military programs such as the Corps lakes in Oklahoma and other states. It is a key position for federal infrastructure and environmental policies.
Both Sens. Inhofe and Lankford cast their votes for him to be confirmed.
Connor is a former Deputy Interior Secretary in the Obama administration. That’s the number-two position at Interior and he held the position from 2014 to 2017.
Connor was previously commissioner of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation from 2009 to 2014. At the time the Biden administration announced his nomination, it said at Reclamation, Connor led efforts to integrate climate science and resilience actions into water resource management. He also took part in Interior’s negotiations on agreements with Mexico concerning the Colorado River.
Connor had support from Inhofe and Lankford but another Biden nominee did not. Robert Luis Santos, of Texas, nominated to be Director of the Census was confirmed on a 58-35 vote with seven Senators not voting.
