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Donald Trump administration Secretary of the Interior appointment, 2017
From Ballotpedia
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Following his election as the 45th President of the United States in 2016, Donald Trump and his transition team considered individuals to fill the position of secretary of the interior. The secretary of the interior is tasked with carrying out the department's mission to protect and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage.[1] U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) was nominated on December 13, 2016, and confirmed on March 1, 2017. He later resigned from the position on January 2, 2019.[2]
| Nomination tracker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: Ryan Zinke | ||
| Position: Secretary of the Interior | ||
| Confirmation progress | ||
 | Announced: | December 13, 2016 |
| Hearing: | January 17, 2017 |
| Committee: | Energy and Natural Resources Committee |
| Reported: | January 31, 2017 16-6 |
| Confirmed: | March 1, 2017 |
| Vote: | 68-31 |
To read more about the U.S. Department of the Interior and its current staff, click here.
Timeline
- See also: Ryan Zinke
The following timeline highlights noteworthy events related to this appointment.
- December 13, 2016: Trump nominated Ryan Zinke for the position.[3]
- March 1, 2017: The U.S. Senate voted 68-31 to confirm Zinke.[4]
- January 2, 2019: Zinke resigned from his potiion.[2]
Confirmation hearing
Zinke appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for a confirmation hearing on January 17, 2017. Some of the highlights of his hearing included:
- In his opening statement, Zinke described his three broad goals if he was confirmed: “The first is to restore trust by working with rather than against local communities and states. I fully recognize that there is distrust, anger, and even hatred against some federal management policies. Being a listening advocate rather than a deaf adversary is a good start. Second, is to prioritize the estimated 12.5 billion dollars in backlog of maintenance and repair in our National Parks. The President elect is committed to a jobs and infrastructure bill, and I am going to need your help in making sure that bill includes shoring up our Nation’s treasures. And third, to ensure the professionals on the front line, our rangers and field managers, have the right tools, right resources, and flexibility to make the right decisions that give a voice to the people they serve.”[5]
- On climate change: Asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) whether he thought climate change was a hoax, Zinke said, “Climate is changing. Man is an influence. I think where there’s debate on it is what that influence is and what can we do about. As the [head of] the Department of the Interior, I will inherit, if confirmed, the USGS (United States Geological Survey). We have great scientists there. I’m not a climate scientist [sic] expert, but I can tell you I’m going to become a lot more familiar with it. And it will be based on objective science.”
- On federally protected land: Zinke’s stance on federal lands was questioned during his 2016 campaign for re-election to the U.S. House. In the past, Zinke had opposed selling federal lands to the states for management. He had, however, supported efforts to transfer some management of public lands to individual states. During his hearing, Zinke stated, “I am absolutely against transfer or sale of public land.”
Considered candidates for Secretary of the Interior
The table below highlights individuals who were either nominated to the position by Trump or were mentioned in the media as potential nominees.
| Considered candidates for Secretary of the Interior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Notable experience | Source | |
| Forrest Lucas | Head of Lucas Oil | Buzzfeed | |
| Robert Grady | Hedge fund manager | Politico | |
| Donald Trump Jr. | Business developer | The Washington Post | |
| Sarah Palin | Former Gov. of Alaska | ABC News | |
| Mary Fallin | Gov. of Oklahoma | Buzzfeed | |
| Jan Brewer | Former Gov. of Arizona | Buzzfeed | |
| Cynthia Lummis | U.S. Representative from Wyoming | Buzzfeed | |
| Harold Hamm | CEO of Continental Resources, an oil company | Buzzfeed | |
| Newt Gingrich* | Former Speaker of the House | ABC News | |
| Richard Pombo | Former U.S. Representative from California | Politico | |
| Mead Treadwell | Former Lt. Gov. of Alaska | Politico | |
| Cathy McMorris Rodgers | U.S. Representative from Washington | The Wall Street Journal | |
| Raul Labrador | U.S. Representative from Idaho | Politico | |
Ryan Zinke  |
U.S. Representative from Montana | Politico | |
| *On November 22, 2016, Gingrich indicated to Politico that he would not seek an official White House role, saying, "I've told the President-elect for months that I want to do is sort of be a senior planner."[6] | |||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Department of the Interior, "Strategic plan FY 2011-2016," accessed January 2, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Hill, "Interior chief Zinke to leave administration," December 15, 2018
- ↑ Politico, "Trump selects Zinke as interior secretary," December 13, 2016
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation Ryan Zinke, of Montana, to be Secretary of the Interior)," accessed December 17, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, "Ryan Zinke Testimony," January 17, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "JOE and MIKA: Trump WH will not pursue Clinton investigation -- TRUMP’s first 100 days: the power of the pen -- PELOSI’s pushback -- PENCE gets a round of applause at Martin’s in Georgetown -- ASHLEY PARKER to WaPo," November 22, 2016
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