According to multiple news outlets, President-elect Donald Trump selected Rick Perry to be his nominee for Secretary of Energy.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Trump had not yet officially confirmed the announcement. However, the two met on Monday at Trump Tower in New York.
“Who better to shake up Washington and change the status quo than a Texan,” Michael Joyce with the Republican Party of Texas said. “So the fact that it is Governor Perry makes it even better.”
Joyce said Perry is 100 percent qualified and fit for the job, despite Perry saying during a 2011 GOP presidential primary debate that he would nix the Department of Energy altogether if he was elected.
“As the former Governor of Texas, Rick Perry oversaw one of the largest states for energy in our country and one in the world as well,” Joyce said. “So, the fact that he has such a diverse background overseeing oil and gas, renewables, nuclear and overseeing that in an executive role in the state of Texas is really going to translate well once he serves in President Trump’s cabinet.”
Texas Democrats called Trump’s choice “embarrassing”.
“There is no better way to destroy our energy future than to put Rick Perry, the man who wanted to dismantle the Department of Energy in charge of it,” Manny Garcia, Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party said. “America simply cannot afford another ‘oops’ moment from Rick Perry.”
If Perry is confirmed, he would become the third Texan to inherit the title of Secretary of Energy.
As Secretary of Energy, Perry would oversee the country’s energy production and regulation, as well as the disposal of nuclear material and ensuring environmental quality.
