WASHINGTON – The White House is withdrawing its planned nomination of Elizabeth Klein to become deputy secretary at the Interior Department amid opposition from Alaska Republican Sen.
Lisa Murkowski. Klein, who worked at Interior during the Obama administration, was among five women named by then-President-elect Joe Biden to serve as deputy secretaries in the Biden administration.
But she was never formally nominated and now won't be, a White House spokesman said Tuesday. Klein’s withdrawal was first reported by Politico.
Instead, Biden is expected to name Tommy Beaudreau, another former Obama-era Interior official, to be deputy secretary, according to two people familiar with the president's thinking.