On Monday , Donald Trump announced his nomination for the Secretary of the Interior ( via the average ofTwitter , natch ) – acting head and former surrogate , David Bernhardt .
As Interior Secretary , Bernhardt would be responsible for70,000 employeesand280,000 volunteerswhose job it is to manage and sustain the nation ’s natural environment , include its fauna and natural resources . The section directly superintend roughlya 5th of US land .
In a subsequent statement , Bernhardt called it a “ humbling privilege to be nominated to lead a section whose charge I lie with , to reach the balanced , commonsense imagination of our President of the United States " . ( " Balanced " and " coarse gumption " being purely immanent in this case . )
Former Deputy Secretary of the Interior , Bernhardt was promoted to acting head of the department of late last year , following a serial of moral philosophy scandal that led tothe resignationofRyan Zinke . In the transition period , he has continued to carry out thede - regulatory , pro - industry policiesof his predecessor , remaining fast to the chair ’s vision and , it come out , bring home the bacon his ( notoriously erratic ) commitment in return .
Republicans have commended his panoptic experience working with the Interior , as a political appointment under George W Bush , as Deputy Secretary under Zinke , and ( controversially ) as a lobbyist during the Obama administration . Fellow Coloradan Ken Buck praise his " terrible leading " .
Meanwhile , Democrats and environmentalist have been quick to indicate out Bernhardt ’s history as a lobbyist – work on behalf of crude , gas , and husbandry client – demonstrates a vested pastime in industriousness that could very well add up into engagement with his responsibility as department secretarial assistant .
As Kieran Suckling , executive theatre director of theCenter for Biological Diversity , puts it : " Bernhardt got this nomination as a reinforcement for calendar month of study swot up America ’s natural heritage into a wood chipper . "
" Confirming him as interior writing table would be a boon to polluters and a stupendous disaster for our public lands and endangered metal money , " he added , APreports .
As act head , Berndhardt has draw unfavorable judgment for attemptsto loosen lawsaround the Endangered Species Act ( ESA ) andrestrict the use of scientific datawhen it come to write policy , as well as his legal action during the shutdown . These included finance the clean and jerk - up of national parkswith entrance fee revenueand sending furloughed worker back to workon offshore drilling projects , whiletaking down environmental review websites .
Bernhardt may have been nominated but to advance to Interior Secretary , he will first have to be corroborate by the Senate . Seeing as the Republicans currently enjoy a 53 - 47 majority , it looks very likely he ’ll win .
