The full Senate voted Monday evening to limit debate on the renomination of David Wright to serve a new five-year term with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
In a key procedural vote that concluded after 6 p.m. Eastern Time with an unofficial tally of 51-to-45, the Senate invoked cloture, or limited debate on the Wright nomination. A full floor vote on the actual nomination itself was expected later in the evening after the Exchange Monitor’s deadline.
With Republicans holding 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate, confirmation seemed highly likely.
President Donald Trump renominated Wright for commissioner on June 16. This marks the second time Trump nominated Wright as he previously nominated him in 2018.
Prior to the Senate vote, the NRC had three active commissioners: Annie Caputo, Bradley Crowell and Matthew Marzano. Then commissioner and former NRC chair Christopher Hanson was terminated by Trump on June 13.
In debate leading up to the vote, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said he planned to vote against Wright, not because Wright is a bad nominee, but to “send a signal” to the Trump administration that the independence of NRC must be preserved. The Democrat said he was concerned about the Department of Energy encroaching on NRC turf as well as the role of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Whitehouse pronounced “dog-gee” in revamping NRC.
In his prior Senate testimony, Wright has insisted that safety of nuclear plants will remain top priority at NRC.