Senate confirms Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior

January 30, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate confirmed North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior. Both Senators Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) voted to confirm Burgum who was confirmed on a very bipartisan 79 to 18 vote.

Senator Britt released a statement after the Senate confirmed Burgum.

"I was proud to vote to confirm Doug Burgum as President Donald Trump's Interior Secretary," said Sen. Britt. "His background as an outsider and self-made man who entered elected office and delivered for the hardworking people who put him there shows the resilience and determination he possesses. Prior to confirmation, I had a wonderful meeting with Secretary Burgum in which we discussed the importance of Alabama's all-of-the-above energy generation portfolio. We also discussed ways to support the ongoing restoration of the 16th Street Baptist Church, part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Secretary Burgum's successful track record as governor of North Dakota shows he is highly capable of leading on each and every issue that falls underneath the Department of the Interior's purview."

One area where the Trump administration Interior Department is expected to be much different from the Biden administration's is on unleashing the vast natural resources under lands and waters controlled by the federal government.

"In his position atop the Interior Department and his role as the chair of the National Energy Council, Secretary Burgum is well-equipped to unleash American energy dominance and grow prosperity in every corner of our country," said Britt. I am excited to see what President Trump and his team accomplish, and I look forward to getting the rest of President Trump's nominees confirmed quickly."

Senator Tuberville also voted to confirm Bugrum, like he has pledged to support all of Trump's cabinet picks.

"The Senate's job is to advise and consent and to represent our constituents and our state," Tuberville said to reporters in November. "The majority of Americans voted for President Donald J. Trump. They want President Trump's agenda now. I intend to do my part to ensure he has the people around him so we can work and work together.

Secretary Burgum is 68 years old. At Interior he will lead how the agency utilizes over 500 million acres of federal and tribal land. The federal government is by far the largest landowner in the United States with control of one fifth of the nation's surface area plus all of the federal waters offshore.

Burgum is expected to work toward maximizing energy and mineral production on public lands, presumably by new leasing in oil-producing states, including Bugrum's native North Dakota, and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Burgum is a multimillionaire former software executive and a former western governor.

During his nomination hearing, Burgum promised to expand oil and gas drilling rights auctions and support permitting reforms to speed new energy projects into production.

"It's an honor to have been nominated by President Trump to serve as the 55th Secretary of the Interior," Gov. Burgum told the Senators at his confirmation hearing. "I spent my entire professional career in the private sector until I was elected Governor in 2016. For the last 8 years, I have been blessed with the privilege of serving the citizens of the great state of North Dakota. My time as Governor has been valuable preparation for the role of Secretary of the Interior, as our state and my duties put me in contact with many of the bureaus inside the Department."

"The American people clearly placed their confidence in President Trump to achieve Energy Dominance," said Burgum. "Energy Dominance is the foundation of historic American prosperity, affordability for American families, and unrivaled national security. Today, America produces energy cleaner, smarter and safer than anywhere in the world. When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn't reduce demand, it just shifts production to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran – whose autocratic leaders don't care about the environment. President Trump's Energy Dominance vision will end wars abroad and make life more affordable for every family by driving down inflation. President Trump will achieve these goals while championing clean air, clean water, and our beautiful land."

The Senate has confirmed Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe to be CIA Director, Pete Hegseth to be Defense Secretary, Kristi Noem to be Homeland Security Secretary, Scott Bessent to be Treasury Secretary, Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation, Doug Burgum to run the Interior Department and Lee Zeldin to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Senate is expected to vote soon on Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Chris Wright to be the Secretary of the Department of Energy.

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