Senators from both parties pressed top DOE and Interior nominees today to protect federal agency staffing and spending — and to keep lawmakers in the loop, Daniel writes.

Why it matters: James Danly and Katharine MacGregor — if confirmed as deputy secretaries at DOE and Interior — would serve as the agencies' chief operating officers at a time when Elon Musk's DOGE targets funding and staff.

What they're saying: Sen. Lisa Murkowski told the nominees at their Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing that she's concerned about the way many employees have been treated in the DOGE process.

• She asked the nominees to notify Congress of "any plans to reorganize, restructure or implement reductions in force."
• "Be transparent with us about what is coming," Murkowski said.
• Both committed to following the law regarding efficiency efforts.

Between the lines: Danly and MacGregor appeared more than two months after the committee held friendly hearings for DOE Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

• Since Wright and Burgum cruised to full Senate confirmation, the White House has moved to reduce staff, rescind congressionally appropriated dollars and end climate programs.
• The decision to rescind money "rests with Congress — not with the president, and certainly not with Elon Musk," Ranking Member Martin Heinrich said.
• Sen. John Hickenlooper — who introduced Wright during his confirmation hearing in January — said Coloradoans are "unnerved" about staffing and funding cuts.

Zoom in: "Actual rescissions, as far as I know, haven't occurred yet," said Danly, a former FERC commissioner.

• But he added: "President Trump has outlined a very bold vision to reduce waste in federal government spending, and I am absolutely dedicated to the same purpose."
• Sen. Alex Padilla pressed Danly to meet with staff at the California hydrogen hub — one funding recipient on the chopping block — before making any cuts.
• Danly said he could, but emphasized it would be premature to make any commitments.

Zoom out: Both nominees endorsed permitting changes that can speed mining and power infrastructure to meet rising energy demand.

• Danly said several iterations of the failed Manchin-Barrasso permitting reform bill looked "promising."
• MacGregor, who held multiple Interior jobs in Trump's first term, pledged to speed approvals for projects like road building, habitat conservation plans, and final resource management plans.

But Danly said he couldn't comment with certainty on how much IRA energy tax credits have spurred investment.

• "Certainly the tax credits had an effect on the capital market," he told Sen. Ron Wyden. "It is impossible to run the counterfactual to know what investment would occur to those tax credits not being there."

Reality check: Despite the DOGE concerns, both are likely to be confirmed.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told lawmakers today that his agency's freeze on EV charging money is intended to get the program right, Nick writes.

Why it matters: The administration's handling of IRA and infrastructure law money has raised legal questions and will be crucial to bipartisan dealmaking on permitting and surface transportation legislation.

Driving the news: The Biden administration's guidance to implement the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program "wasn't working," Duffy told Senate Environment and Public Works.

• He noted that few chargers have actually been built since the program became law as part of the IIJA.
• "I think if you pass a bill saying we should build out American infrastructure with charging stations, we should build charging stations. We shouldn't pay people to not have charging stations," Duffy said.
• He also said staff cuts at DOT haven't impacted infrastructure grant approvals.

Between the lines: The hearing formally kicked off debate on a surface transportation bill to reauthorize IIJA programs expiring in 2026.

• It'll be part of the larger debate about permitting — if Democrats are satisfied with the administration's answers on Trump EOs and frozen money.
• Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse said that although he's eager to work on permitting, "I can't do any of that while the Trump administration blockades authorized and appropriated funds for approved projects, particularly if it blockades selectively."

Zoom in: Duffy's move to suspend NEVI raised legal questions and sowed confusion among state agencies tasked with actually building the chargers.

• The Biden administration had allocated $3.3 billion in NEVI money, but much of it hadn't actually been spent — and many states are now at a standstill.

🛢️ 1. LNG flexibility: The DOE rescinded a Biden-era policy statement that required authorized LNG exporters to meet stringent criteria before the agency would consider a request to extend a commencement date for an approved project.

• This policy statement "made it unnecessarily rigid to obtain and maintain an authorization to export U.S. LNG to non–free trade agreement countries," said Tala Goudarzi, head of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.

💸 2. Land sales: Heinrich condemned Republicans' plans to sell off public lands in budget reconciliation.

• "Call your members of Congress. Call the White House. Make it clear to the president himself just how unpopular these attacks on our American birthright are," Heinrich said. "Public lands belong in public hands."

📝 3. Bill in the pipeline: Reps. Randy Weber and Deborah Ross plan to reintroduce bipartisan legislation that would strengthen public-private partnerships and enhance federal R&D and demonstration efforts for pipeline systems.

• The Next Generation Pipelines Research and Development Act comes amid massive proposed cuts to DOE demonstration programs.

🚗 4. "Liberation day": Automakers have a big math problem as Trump's tariffs pile up, Axios' Joann Muller writes.

• Subscribe here to Joann's excellent new Future of Mobility newsletter.