President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw yet another nominee over concerns about their ability to be confirmed by the Senate.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that it would be withdrawing the nomination of Ann Carlson, who the president put forth to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Carlson is currently Biden’s chief counsel, and she was put forth as his selection to serve as administrator of the NHTSA back in February. Her nomination was officially sent to the Senate for confirmation in late March.
The White House said that the Biden administration informed the upper chamber that Carlson’s nomination would be withdrawn, while a source who is familiar with the situation confirmed recently to the Daily Caller News Foundation that Carlson herself chose to withdraw from consideration.
In a statement, Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of the Department of Transportation, said:
“Ann Carlson is an exceptionally capable, expert and dedicated public servant who gets things done. During her time in leadership at NHTSA, the agency has overseen safety recalls affecting more than 68.8 million vehicles in the United States, finalized 18 rules, and seen roadway deaths decline three consecutive quarters.
“Ann’s service has helped advance NHTSA’s mission to save lives and reduce the economic costs of roadway crashes. I am grateful that Ann will continue to serve at NHTSA as we pursue further work to make our roads safer.”
In the announcement, the White House didn’t provide any reasons for why Biden was withdrawing Carlson’s nomination.
It’s likely that the concerns that many Republicans in the Senate raised about her “past career” were the reasons behind it. On May 1, some GOP members of the Commerce Committee in the Senate sent Carlson a letter to address some of those concerns.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas outlined some of those concerns in a tweet he sent on May 23. He wrote:
“Ann Carlson’s repeated calls to raise energy prices have been central to her climate alarmist advocacy, but she’s conveniently left out mention of her financial interest in natural gas well leases.
“Carlson has signaled that she intends to use her role as administrator of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to further her crusade against fossil fuels, but with her investment in the oil and gas business, her attacks on American energy reek of hypocrisy.”
One of the main things that Carlson has stood behind is initiating new standards for fuel economy with vehicles. This is a major concern for many Republicans.
But, GOP members of the Commerce Committee in the Senate have also expressed concerns about past actions she has taken within the department, which they say mirror her “long career as an environmentalist without traffic safety experience.”
That shows to them that Biden’s nomination of Carlso to lead the NHTSA is only “to advance” the “climate change agenda” that the president continues to push.
Carlson hasn’t commented publicly on her nomination being pulled as of yet.
