The Senate confirmed President Trump's nominee for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, 52-46 on Friday. Two Democrats crossed party lines to vote for Pruitt: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.). One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), did not vote for Pruitt.
In a last-ditch effort to block the confirmation of Pruitt, many EPA employees had even resorted to calling their senators. Most Democrats had fiercely opposed Pruitt's nomination, boycotting a committee vote last month over his refusal to hand over thousands of emails he exchanged with representatives of the gas, oil, and coal industries.On Thursday, an Oklahoma judge ruled that Pruitt, the state's attorney general, must hand over the emails by next week. Republicans still declined to delay Friday's confirmation vote.
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