On May 16, 2013, the Senate confirmed Ernest Moniz as the new Secretary of Energy with a vote of 97-0. Moniz replaces former Secretary Steven Chu.

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved Moniz’s nomination on April 18, 2013. The confirmation was delayed by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who placed a hold on the nomination due to concerns regarding the future of the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina.

Moniz is a nuclear physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and heads the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. He previously served as Under Secretary of Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE) and Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He also served on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future.