The Senate voted 51-47 on the entire bloc of 107 nominations, including the confirmation of Neil Jacobs as the under secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Jacobs may be best known for his role in the “Sharpiegate” scandal under the last Trump administration. At the time, NOAA released a statement backing Trump and bucking the National Weather Service after the president insisted that Hurricane Dorian had been slated to hit Alabama.
His confirmation comes at a time when funding and personnel at NOAA, and particularly the National Weather Service, have come under intense scrutiny as the Trump administration seeks to downsize the government.
Jacobs told Congress that if confirmed, weather service staffing would be a “top priority.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
Jasmín Ordóñez looks out from a wooden boat at the water as she crosses a narrow channel that connects a labyrinth of chinampas, island farms that were built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago.
The Department of Justice unveiled Wednesday that a Florida man previously working as an Uber driver was arrested in connection with the deadly Palisades Fire that struck Los Angeles in January.
Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) got in a confrontation Wednesday with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) after they staged a surprise press gaggle outside his office to highlight their health care demands and his delay in swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.). Read more
California gubernatorial candidate and former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) tried to end an interview with a reporter after she was asked what she would say to voters in the state who voted for President Trump. Read more
