GOP senator places hold on Trump nominees over wetlands policy

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer (N.D.) is placing a hold on all future Trump nominees over the administration’s approach to wetlands.

In a statement shared with The Hill, Cramer expressed disappointment that the administration is leaving a Biden-era wetland policy in place for the time being — and indicated that he would not advance the president’s nominees as a result.

“The blind defense of a Biden rule favored by environmental extremists at the expense of farmers confounds me, particularly at a time when our ag producers are hurting so badly,” he said.

“My farmers are furious and so am I. There won’t be another nominee confirmed until something changes,” he said.

The holds were first reported by E&E News .

Holds can slow the process of confirming nominees, requiring the Senate to spend hours debating them and taking additional votes for each nominee.

While they don’t necessarily prevent confirmation if a nominee can still reach a majority, in large quantities they can cause a significant setback, as seen when Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) put holds on hundreds of military promotions in 2023.

The Senate is currently in recess and is not actively advancing nominations, but it could seek to push more Trump appointees through this fall while Republicans are still certain to hold a majority.

Cramer’s hold comes as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) decided not to move forward with changes to a Biden-era policy that sought to prevent the draining of wetlands that were protected under conservation easements — thereby protecting duck habitat.

Earlier this year, the agency said it would request information about whether to reconsider how the Biden-era rule calculates acceptable drain placement near wetlands.

In deciding not to move forward, FWS said in a post on the social platform X that it “is dedicated to protecting both the wetland easements purchased by the FWS that are necessary to protect our conservation heritage as well as the private landowners’ use of their lands outside the easement boundaries.”

“At this time, no further action is planned as we review the information received,” it said.

The Hill has reached out to FWS and the Interior Department for comment.

The issue is one that divides two constituencies that often lean Republican: hunters and farmers.

Hunters have supported the Biden-era rule, saying they want the best possible breeding habitat for ducks so they can hunt them in the future.

“Strong duck populations and liberal hunting opportunities depend upon maintaining the habitat conditions necessary for successful nesting and recruitment,” said a public comment from Illinois Ducks Unlimited.

On the other hand, opponents argue that the rule puts too many restrictions on farmers, who may want to put a drain on their lands.

“By establishing expansive, formula-driven setback requirements, the rule effectively extended federal control well beyond the boundaries of the easements themselves. What was sold to landowners as protection of specific wetland features became, in practice, a significant restriction on the productive use of additional adjacent private land, without additional compensation,” said a comment from the North Dakota Farm Bureau.