--- title: Rick Perry's Energy Secretary Confirmation Hearing: Watch description: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry will appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources canonical: https://time.com/4639221/rick-perry-confirmation-hearing-trump-energy-secretary/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-19T14:46:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:37:50.829Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch Live: Rick Perry's Confirmation Hearing to be Donald Trump's Energy Secretary og:description: Perry previously said he wanted to shut down the department og:url: https://time.com/4639221/rick-perry-confirmation-hearing-trump-energy-secretary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92a0b667072823aa/6988b6225f570f045ab23cac/rick-perry-texas-education-secretary-trump-confirmation-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Gov. Rick Perry Meets with Senate Majority Leader McConnell og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Live: Rick Perry's Confirmation Hearing to be Donald Trump's Energy Secretary twitter:description: Perry previously said he wanted to shut down the department twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92a0b667072823aa/6988b6225f570f045ab23cac/rick-perry-texas-education-secretary-trump-confirmation-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Live: Rick Perry's Confirmation Hearing to be Donald Trump's Energy Secretary by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jan 19, 2017 2:46 PM UTC  Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry, who is President-elect Trumps pick to be Energy Secretary, meets with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 4, 2017. Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry, who is President-elect Trumps pick to be Energy Secretary, meets with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 4, 2017.Samuel Corum—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jan 19, 2017 2:46 PM UTC Former Texas Gov. [Rick Perry](http://time.com/4598910/rick-perry-department-energy-oops-gaffe/) will appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday to make his case for why he should be the United States’ next Secretary of Energy. Perry initially ran against Trump in the early days of the contentious Republican primary, even calling his then-opponent a “cancer on conservatism.” But when Trump announced he was nominating Perry for his cabinet, the president-elect [praised](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/texas-gov-rick-perry-face-congress-confirmation-hearing/story?id=44869120) his record of producing jobs and lowering energy prices in Texas. However, the energy department also oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal, an area where Perry has far less experience. During Thursday’s hearing, he is expected to face tough questions on this [lack of experience](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/politics/rick-perry-energy-secretary-donald-trump.html) in nuclear science, as well as about his [statement in 2011](http://time.com/4598910/rick-perry-department-energy-oops-gaffe/?iid=sr-link1) that he wanted to close the very department he now hopes to run. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Watch the live stream of the hearing above. 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