Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will appear before Congressional committees for the first time since his confirmation in January.
The former Republican governor of North Dakota is set to appear before House and Senate appropriators on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Burgum’s appearances come as the Trump administration seeks massive budget cuts at his department. The administration’s proposed budget calls for a $5 billion cut in funding for the Department of the Interior, including nearly $1 billion at the National Park Service. Burgum previously issued a secretarial order requiring national parks to remain fully open despite the potential cuts and the chaotic firings of NPS staff orchestrated by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
In addition to the proposed budget cuts, Trump allies in Congress are seeking to sell off potentially hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, currently overseen by the Department of the Interior, to private developers. Earlier this month, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) used a midnight vote to attach an amendment to the Republican reconciliation package calling for the sale of vast tracts of public lands in Nevada and Utah with no public input.
Sierra Club spokespeople are available for interviews.
Schedule:
House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Interior budget
Tuesday, May 20, at 10 a.m.
2008 Rayburn and via webcast.
Witness: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Interior Department budget
Wednesday, May 21, at 10:30 a.m.
124 Dirksen and via webcast.
Witness: Burgum
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.