Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said the committee received 44 letters from advocacy and business groups organizations in support of Duffy's nomination. Some of the groups supporting Duffy, according to a list distributed by the committee, are major players in the auto industry.

The U.S. Senate energy panel said on Monday the nomination hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, will take place on Thursday instead of Tuesday, blaming a "bureaucratic delay" with a federal ethics office.