Former Gov. Rick Perry tapped as Trump’s Secretary of Energy
Former Texas governor not only has an anti-gay record, but called for eliminating the agency he'll head
Trump Cabinet, Cabinet-Level Nominee and Adviser Threat Gauge
Name: Rick Perry
Position: Secretary of Energy
LGBT record: Opposed same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and even refused processing benefits for same-sex military couples stationed in Texas. He has also opposed nondiscrimination legislation, compared homosexuality to alcoholism, and supports both “religious freedom” legislation and conversion therapy.
Threat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 — Scorched Earth
President-elect Donald Trump plans to name former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, according to The New York Times. Perry’s selection has raised eyebrows among many Washington insiders for various reasons, not the least of which is that, as a presidential candidate in 2011, Perry named the Department of Energy as one of three government agencies he’d eliminate if elected to the White House.
Perry would later forget the Energy Department in his list of three agencies to eliminate during a live televised presidential debate, saying he’d eliminate the Commerce and Education Departments but blanking on the name of the third. That gaffe, which was an unforced error on Perry’s part, ended up sinking his presidential hopes and helped pave the way for Mitt Romney’s nomination as the Republican standard-bearer.
More importantly, while the political world is quite aware of Perry’s fondness for fossil fuel extraction — not surprising given Texas’ vast energy resources — the Energy Department actually plays a larger role in designing nuclear weapons and stopping nuclear proliferation. According to the Times, 60 percent of the department’s budget is devoted to the National Nuclear Security Administration, which defines its mission as enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. Under the Obama administration, the department was key in negotiating part of the Iran nuclear deal. The agency has also done extensive research into climate change — which Perry is skeptical of — and supported the development of clean energy technologies.
Indeed, many in Washington are puzzled that Perry, who has little or no foreign policy experience, a resume where his top two positions were governor and agricultural commissioner of Texas, and only boasts a bachelor’s degree in animal science, would be chosen for a job with national security implications. For example, Trump could have instead chosen Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who also comes from a pro-extraction state with significant oil and gas reserves. However, unlike Perry, Fallin served in Congress, where she was a member of the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Natural Resources, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, all of which would give her relevant experience dealing with issues that might arise in overseeing the Energy Department.
Though LGBT issues rarely factor into policies promoted by the Energy Department, Perry ranks with Trump Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions and Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Price as one of the most vehemently anti-LGBT cabinet nominees. Perry supported both Texas’ constitutional amendment and a proposed federal amendment banning same-sex marriage, and has attacked judges who have struck down such bans. Perry also defended Texas’ ban on allowing LGBT couples to adopt children, and supports a federal measure that would do the same. In 2013, he refused to process requests for same-sex partner benefits from LGBT military members stationed in Texas.
Perry has repeatedly opposed employment nondiscrimination legislation, and has expressed support for measures that would permit anti-LGBT discrimination under the guise of “religious freedom.” Perry supports conversion therapy for people with same-sex attraction, has compared homosexuality to alcoholism, and previously opposed lifting the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on openly gay scouts and scout leaders.
Perry’s most famous ad from his presidential campaign in 2011 was one where he lamented that “there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” In that spot, he promised to end the “war on religion” and vowed to “fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.”
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