Burgum met the threshold for a vote to proceed with a full Senate debate, meaning his final vote for confirmation will be Thursday night or Friday.

The Senate voted 78–20 to advance President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, for a final confirmation vote. That isn’t expected until Thursday.

The Senate voted Wednesday evening to close debate on Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department. The former North Dakota governor is likely to be confirmed easily after the 78-20 cloture vote, with 25 Democrats voting in favor.

WASHINGTON — Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has cleared a vital step in his bid to become Interior secretary.

The former North Dakota governor told senators at his confirmation hearing that he saw limits on energy production as a national security threat.

Members of the committee had the opportunity to question Burgum on an array of different topics regarding energy, mineral resources and beyond.