Doug Burgum sails through confirmation hearing: "Pick of the litter!"
“We’re on board with Burgum,” Rep. Mike Simpson told the Reporter. “We’re pleased to have an Interior Secretary from the West.”
Former North Dakota governor Doug Burgum is heading to the Interior Department — the well-coiffed businessman sailed through his confirmation hearing, and Congress lavished praise on him to the Washington Reporter.
“President Trump’s incoming Secretary of the Interior is extremely intelligent, has a vast understanding of effective business practice, and is somebody who you can simply sit down with and talk to,” Sen. Jim Justice (R., W.Va) told the Reporter. Justice and Burgum overlapped as governors of their states, and both had never run for office prior to their successful statewide campaigns.
“Governor Burgum is a close friend and has always been a solid partner when it comes to finding new ways to empower our states through natural resources. President Trump has found fantastic nominees for every position in his cabinet, and Governor Burgum is the pick of the litter,” Justice added.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) said of Burgum: “hearing the Governor say that he views Alaska as ‘one of the biggest assets this country has’ is a breath of fresh air after the last four years. I look forward to working with Governor Burgum to unleash the energy and resource opportunities that Alaska possesses.”
The praise continued pouring in for Burgum following his hearing from both senators and from members of the House of Representatives. Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho) added his voice to the chorus of bicameral Burgum praise. “We’re on board with Burgum,” he told the Reporter. “We’re pleased to have an Interior Secretary from the West.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Burgum scored rave reviews from his hometown crowd. Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R., N.D.), who succeeded Burgum as governor, said that “North Dakota needs [Burgum] as Interior Secretary yesterday.”
Likewise, Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R., N.D.), who represents the entire state in the House, endorsed Burgum’s selection in a Reporter op-ed. “I have watched Governor Doug Burgum’s leadership help North Dakota thrive, and for the sake of the United States, I urge my new colleagues in the Senate to confirm him,” she wrote.
Finally, industry stakeholders made it clear that they can’t wait for the era of Burgum. “The whole ‘American balance sheet’ is inspired,” Daniel Turner, the executive director of Power the Future (PTF) told the Reporter. “His point nonstop was we do not know we have no idea what our assets are. We only talk about our debt and our enemies only see us as a poor investment. It’s true business like mentality Washington is desperate for.”
Mike Sommers, the president of the American Petroleum Institute, said that his organization is “pleased to support [Burgum’s] nomination and look forward to working with him once confirmed to implement a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing, starting with removing barriers to development on federal lands and waters and developing a new five-year offshore program.”
Burgum’s pick isn’t the only one Trump pick who will help reignite American energy dominance, experts note. One industry executive told the Reporter that “the trio of Burgum, [Chris] Wright, and [Lee] Zeldin, who I’m calling the energy dominance amigos, proved they are the most qualified and the most well-equipped to help Trump fully realize his American energy dominance agenda.”
The insider added that “these three picks are about to breathe new life into American manufacturing and energy, which will drive prosperity for all Americans.”
