Overview
- Sen. Kevin Cramer placed an open hold on all of President Trump’s nominees on Thursday to demand changes to a Fish and Wildlife Service policy governing drain-tile setbacks around wetland easements.
- The Fish and Wildlife Service said it will not propose changes "at this time" while it reviews more than 200,000 public comments submitted during the agency’s review.
- The hold puts high-profile confirmations at risk, including Dennis Kirk for Interior inspector general and pending HHS and NSF nominees, because a single senator can force extra floor time and recorded votes in a narrowly divided Senate.
- The dispute centers on Prairie Pothole-era easements that protect waterfowl by limiting how close farmers can install underground drainage tiles to protected wetlands, with farmers and some Republicans calling the rule an intrusion on property rights.
- Large public comment volumes and divided GOP responses show the issue has national reach, and the next steps to watch are whether the administration reopens the rulemaking or negotiates a deal that would free up confirmations.