Senate workload for August doesn't include Trump's energy nominees

President Trump's energy nominees are being left to wait as Senate committees move ahead with a busy week of hearings during the extended August work schedule that does not include any confirmation votes.

A Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting to move a number of Trump's energy and interior nominees through the confirmation vote process was postponed after a contentious week of votes on a bill to partially repeal and replace Obamacare.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairwoman of the energy committee, has not announced when the votes would be rescheduled. She had said last month that she had planned to use the extended Senate work schedule to move the remainder of Trump's appointees through the committee process and to the Senate floor.

Her office told the Washington Examiner that Senate scheduling uncertainties had forced the committee to postpone the votes. "We are considering options for rescheduling the business meeting, but have not yet settled on a date or time," said Nicole Daigle, a spokeswoman for Murkowski and the committee. "Once the chairman has made a decision regarding this business meeting, the committee will issue a public notice."

Several nominees whom Murkowski already moved through committee are awaiting votes from the full Senate. The nominees include two Republican commissioners to be members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has been forced to shut down for lack of members.