Senator Bingaman presides over final hearing

Jeff Bingaman

Sen. Jeff Bingaman presided over a Senate committee hearing for the final time Wednesday morning, prompting another senator to lament that the upper chamber of Congress will be “less thoughtful and less informed” in the New Mexico Democrat’s absence. 

Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is retiring next month after a 30-year Senate career. The senator is also a Finance Committee member, and with the energy committee’s work done for the year, he was asked to chair a finance hearing Wednesday on taxes and energy policy. 

Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who also serves on the Finance Committee and is expected to take over from Bingaman as the energy chairman, said the Senate will miss Bingaman’s steady, low-key legislative style.

Senator Bingaman presides over final hearing