Lawmakers questioned President-elect Trump's energy secretary on climate change, the Los Angeles wildfires, and the Biden administration's green energy agenda during his nomination hearing, which saw disruptions from several climate protesters.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for Chris Wright, Liberty Energy Inc. CEO and Trump's pick to head the Energy Department, on Wednesday, which was also his birthday.

The Trump nominee was introduced by a Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, who described him as "an unrestrained enthusiast for fossil fuels." Wright focused his responses on energy dominance, saying that climate change is a "real issue," global energy demand, and his focus on growing energy resources.

"America has an historic opportunity to secure our energy systems, deliver leadership in scientific and technological innovation, steward our weapons stockpiles and meet Cold War legacy waste commitments," Wright said in his opening statement.

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Wright said he has identified three "immediate tasks" where he will focus his attention, if confirmed: unleashing American energy, leading the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs, and increasing production in America.

"President Trump shares my passion for energy, and if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda as an unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy," Wright told the committee.

Republicans, such as Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, positioned their questioning on Biden administration policies, such as a ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, regulations on household appliances, and most recently blocking drilling along the coast.

Multiple Democratic senators claimed that the committee chairman, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, scheduled the confirmation hearing before all required paperwork on Wright was provided to the members of the committee. Other Democrats used their time at the mic to claim the Los Angeles fires were caused by "climate change."

"Despite the misinformation that's circulating here in the Capitol, into California, and everywhere in between, it's clear that these fires only reach the size and the scale that they have because of unseasonably dry vegetation and extremely high winds, both of which are a direct result of climate change," Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said during the hearing. 

Asked about the issue of climate change, Wright said he believes it's a "real issue"

"I've studied and followed the data and the evolution of climate change for at least 20 years now. It is a global issue. It is a real issue. It's a challenging issue," Wright said, adding that he believes the solution to climate change "is to evolve our energy system."

Fox News Digital captured footage of several climate change protesters who disrupted Wright's hearing on Wednesday. 

One protester stood up while Wright was being questioned and asked if his policies would "put out the fires in LA." 

"Are you gonna ask any questions or just softball on the climate this entire time," said another protester who was removed from the hearing room.

Several other climate protesters were also stationed outside the hearing room, with shirts that read, "I won't let my future burn."

A new national poll indicates that President Biden's approval ratings remain well underwater as the nation's 46th president is only days from leaving office.

Just 36% of Americans approve of the job Biden's doing in the White House, according to the latest CNN poll conducted by SSRS, with 64% saying they disapprove. The approval rating matches the president's previous low mark in the cable news network's polling during Biden's single term in office.

The poll was released on Wednesday, just hours before the president delivers his prime-time farewell address to the nation, with just days left before Biden's term ends and he is succeeded by President-elect Trump in the White House.

Biden's approval rating stands at 43% – slightly higher but still in negative territory – in national polls by USA Today/Suffolk University and Marist College which, along with the CNN survey, were conducted earlier this month. 

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The trio of polls also indicates that many Americans view Biden's presidency as a failure.

Sixty-one percent of those questioned in the CNN survey said they see Biden’s presidency overall as a failure, with 38% viewing it as a success. 

According to the USA Today/Suffolk University survey, which was released on Tuesday, 44% of registered voters said history will assess Biden as a failed president, with 27% saying he will be judged as a fair president. Twenty-one percent of those questioned said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% saying he will be seen as a great president.

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Just over a third of adults nationwide questioned in the Marist poll, which was released on Wednesday, said Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, with 19% saying he will be considered a below-average president.

Twenty-eight percent of participants offered that Biden's legacy will be considered average, with 19% saying he would be regarded as above average or one of the best presidents in the nation's history.

In his Oval Office speech, Biden will likely aim to cement his legacy as a president who pushed to stabilize politics at home while bolstering America's leadership abroad, and as a leader who steered the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic and made historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy while lowering prescription drug prices.

Biden, in a letter to Americans released early Wednesday morning, emphasized that when he took office four years ago "we were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."

And he touted that "today, we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years."

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Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden's much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer that was mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval rating was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border.

Biden's approval ratings slipped underwater in the autumn of 2021 and never reemerged into positive territory.

The president's single term in the White House ends Monday, Jan. 20, as Trump is inaugurated as Biden's successor.

However, according to the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 44% also said that Trump will be seen by history as a failed president. 

One in five said Trump would be viewed as a great president, with 19% saying good and 27% saying he would be judged a fair president.

Trump ended his first term in office with approval ratings in negative territory, including 47% approval in Fox News polling from four years ago.

In Marist polling four years ago, as Trump finished his first term, 47% thought he would be remembered as one of the nation's worst presidents.

As Trump gets ready to once again assume the presidency, the Marist poll indicates opinions of him remain low, with 44% of Americans viewing him favorably and 49% holding an unfavorable opinion of the incoming president.

However, opinions about Trump's first term have risen in numerous polls conducted since his convincing victory in November's presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. The vice president succeeded Biden in July as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer after the president dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

The poll also indicates that Americans have high expectations for Trump when it comes to the economy.

"While many Americans feel the current economy is not working well for them, residents nationally have grown more optimistic about the future of their own finances," the poll's release highlighted.

The survey also indicated Americans are divided about Trump’s proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

According to the poll, more than six in 10 disapprove of Trump's pledge to pardon his supporters who were convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

The Marist poll was conducted Jan. 7-9, with 1,387 adults nationwide questioned. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

The CNN poll was conducted Jan. 9-12, with 1,205 adults nationwide questioned. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Government agencies are cautioning that President-elect Trump’s inauguration may attract violent extremists – especially those harboring "election-related grievances," according to a new report. 

While no specific credible threats have been identified, agencies like the FBI, Secret Service and Capitol Police authored a threat assessment asserting that extremists may view the inauguration as "their last opportunity to influence the election results through violence," Politico reports. 

The threat assessment identified foreign terrorists, domestic extremists or lone wolves who could pull off violent acts, including vehicle-ramming attacks, bomb hoaxes or swatting calls.

Likewise, law enforcement cited concerns about protests breaking into chaos, especially since certain groups who’ve faced arrests in previous protests have applied for demonstration permits. 

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"Past protests by some of these individuals have involved traffic blockades, trespassing, property destruction, and resisting arrest," the threat assessment said. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger cautioned Monday that "lone actors" are the most serious threat to inauguration festivities, during a press conference with federal and local law enforcement officials about the inauguration.

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"The biggest threat, I think, for all of us remains the lone actor," Manger said. "Just in the past week, while President Carter was lying in state, we had two lone actors show up at the Capitol: one trying to bring in knives and a machete; another one who was trying – what I believe – to disrupt the proceedings by setting their car on fire down in the peace circle area." 

"Capitol Police were able to interdict these folks before they had a chance to do any harm," Manger said. "But that threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us being at this heightened state of alert throughout the next week."

As a result, the inauguration will feature a beefed up law enforcement presence. Approximately 4,000 local law enforcement officers have volunteered to assist, and 7,800 National Guard soldiers will also be deployed. 

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Matt McCool, the Secret Service’s special agent in charge of the agency’s Washington field office, said that altogether roughly 25,000 law enforcement officers will be working. McCool said this year’s inauguration plan features a "slightly more robust security plan," in comparison to President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. 

"What I can tell you is that we are 100% confident in the plan that we have put in place for this inauguration that the public and our protectees will be safe," McCool said.

Additionally, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said it is bracing for 12 separate First Amendment demonstrations at the inauguration, noting that they will have a right to peacefully protest. Still, she said violence won’t be permitted.  

"I want to reiterate – as I always have – that violence, destruction and unlawful behavior will not be tolerated," Smith said Monday. "Offenders will face swift and decisive consequences."

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

A number of President-elect Donald Trump's choices for his second-term Cabinet have seen their scheduled confirmation hearings postponed, with Senate committees citing outstanding documents. 

Hearings for Doug Collins, tapped to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was chosen for secretary of the Interior, were set for Tuesday as part of the Trump transition team and Senate Republicans' ambitious effort to confirm Trump's Cabinet. 

However, they were delayed at the last minute. This meant two of the three slated Tuesday hearings were pushed, leaving only one hearing for secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth that day. 

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While more confirmation hearings took shape on Wednesday — including those for secretary of Energy pick Chris Wright, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, CIA director selection John Ratcliffe, Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio — another key hearing for Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., was postponed. 

According to a source familiar, Noem had completed all necessary paperwork in a timely manner, but the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is still waiting for the FBI's portion. 

Despite the hearings being moved, Trump's transition says there will not be delays in confirming his team. "There are no delays, and paperwork is being submitted quickly to ensure the confirmation process is smooth and President Trump is able to implement his agenda mandated by the American people on day one," Taylor Rogers, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, said in a statement.

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Each of the postponed hearings has gotten a new date, with Burgum's on Thursday and Noem's on Friday. However, Collins' hearing will not take place until the day after Trump's inauguration, next Tuesday. 

The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs had not received the FBI report on Collins as of Monday afternoon, Fox News was told. All other necessary paperwork had been transmitted to the committee, though. 

A committee aide told Fox News that the delay was not Collins' fault, emphasizing that he had submitted it all on time. 

"Congressman Doug Collins has submitted all his paperwork in a timely manner and has been transparent and forthcoming with the committee," committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said in a Monday statement. "At this time, the FBI has not completed its customary background check of Congressman Collins. In accordance with long-standing practice, the committee should have an opportunity to review Congressman Collins’ FBI file before the confirmation hearing. I expect the FBI to complete its review quickly so that the committee can move forward with its role of evaluating the President’s nominee."

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The week's postponed hearings join others that have yet to be noticed or scheduled by committee chairs, such as those for director of National Intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard, United Nations Ambassador nominee Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Secretary of Agriculture nominee Brooke Rollins, among others. 

Republicans have blamed delays in paperwork processing on bureaucracy, as documents were determined as the reason why confirmation hearings are postponed or unscheduled. 

One source familiar told Fox News that Senate Republicans and Trump's transition are doing everything they can, but given the two recent federal government snow days, the document processing has fallen victim to bureaucratic hold up. 

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According to a Senate Democrat source, Trump will have difficulty trying to get nominees confirmed on the day of his inauguration. "We know he wants to do so, but it will be challenging given the delays," they told Fox News Digital. 

Waiting for paperwork was "frustrating," a GOP source on one committee told Fox News Digital. Committees have also had difficulty trying to connect with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics regarding nominees' documents. The source added that at times it seemed that the media had more information than the committee itself. 

Conservatives on social media celebrated President-elect Trump's attorney general nominee Pam Bondi's response to a question from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. 

"It would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime?" Whitehouse said during his line of questioning. "It's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name. Correct?"

Bondi responded by highlighting the federal government’s investigations into Trump.

"Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen the last four years and what's been happening to Donald Trump," Bondi said. 

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"They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him, actually starting back in 2016. They targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him. That will not be the case. If I am attorney general, I will not politicize that office," Bondi said. "I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation. Justice will be administered evenhandedly throughout this country. Senator, we've got to bring this country back together. We've got to move forward, or we're going to lose our country."

Conservatives on social media quickly took notice of the exchange. 

"Pam Bondi totally flips the script on Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) who tried to make it seem like she will weaponize the DOJ," Florida’s Voice News assistant news director Eric Daughtery posted on X. "Masterclass."

"Pam Bondi is making Sheldon Whitehouse look stupid," Trump '24 deputy rapid response director Greg Price posted on X. 

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"Senator Whitehouse unironically explaining that prosecutors should have a crime and then look for a suspect, not the other way around," Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich posted on X. 

"Bondi responds by explaining DOJ did the opposite to Trump for years."

Fox News Digital reached out to Whitehouse's office but did not immediately receive a response.

Bondi is expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and some have speculated that she will earn some votes from Democrats.