AISenate EPW confirms NRC nominee Doug Weaver, postpones TVA vote on Lee Beaman

Title

Senate EPW confirms NRC nominee Doug Weaver, postpones TVA vote on Lee Beaman

Purpose

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a business meeting to vote on the nomination of Douglas Weaver to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the remainder of a term expiring June 30, 2026. The committee had planned to also consider Lee Beaman's nomination to the Tennessee Valley Authority board, but that vote was postponed amid concerns raised about Beaman's qualifications. Begins at▶ 0:19:59

Who spoke

• Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)▶ 0:19:59: Called the business meeting to order and outlined the process of opening statements followed by a vote▶ 0:19:59; said she would support Weaver's nomination, citing his nearly 40 years of nuclear experience and the need for the NRC to be more efficient while prioritizing safety▶ 0:20:23▶ 0:21:11; noted Beaman's nomination would be considered at another time▶ 0:22:02; presided over the roll call vote and announced the final tally▶ 0:28:36▶ 0:30:01.

• Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member▶ 0:22:23: Said Weaver committed at his nomination hearing to protect public health and safety even at the cost of his job and called NRC independence "nonnegotiable"▶ 0:22:23; raised concern that Weaver's written question-for-the-record responses were replaced with a different set less than five hours later, allegedly rewritten by the White House▶ 0:22:53▶ 0:23:26; asked that a redline comparison be entered into the record, which the chair granted▶ 0:23:57▶ 0:24:09; said he would support Weaver's nomination in committee despite the episode▶ 0:24:10; warned of DOE "power grabs" against NRC independence via an Executive Order process led by an acting general counsel with no nuclear experience▶ 0:24:55▶ 0:25:23; separately outlined objections to Beaman's TVA nomination, citing an ongoing investigation into mischaracterized campaign loans referred to the House Ethics Committee and questions about his rental arrangements with House members, including the Speaker, through an intermediary pastor▶ 0:26:10▶ 0:27:05▶ 0:27:36.

Key moments

• Chair Capito confirmed Beaman's TVA nomination would not be voted on at this meeting and would be considered separately▶ 0:22:02▶ 0:25:41.

• Whitehouse said Weaver's questions-for-the-record answers were submitted, then replaced with a different set within five hours, which he said he had never seen happen before in the Senate, attributing the rewrite to the White House▶ 0:22:53▶ 0:23:26.

• Whitehouse requested and received unanimous consent to enter a redline comparison of the original and revised QFR answers into the record▶ 0:23:57▶ 0:24:09.

• Whitehouse said an ongoing investigation exists into false statements about campaign contributions, with loans allegedly mischaracterized as donations while Beaman served as treasurer, and that the matter has been referred to the House Ethics Committee▶ 0:26:10▶ 0:26:35.

• Whitehouse said Beaman disclosed renting his house for a dollar a year to a pastor who then collects rent from House members living there, and questioned whether members were charged market rate▶ 0:26:35▶ 0:27:05.

• Whitehouse quoted the pastor, identified as Pastor Berger, as having said to "beat everyone of them with a baseball bat and not feel bad about it" regarding gay people, and questioned Beaman's claimed lack of knowledge of the pastor's views▶ 0:27:36.

• The committee paused proceedings to wish Sen. Boozman a happy birthday before the roll call vote▶ 0:28:10.

• The roll call vote on Weaver's nomination to the NRC passed 14 ayes to 4 nays▶ 0:30:01.

• The business meeting adjourned immediately after the vote announcement, with no further member remarks requested▶ 0:30:01.