Interior Secretary Doug Burgum faced tough questioning from House lawmakers over proposed budget cuts and department restructuring.
Burgum defended plans to reduce National Park Service staff, reorganize firefighting programs, and merge offshore energy agencies amid bipartisan concerns.
Lawmakers expressed worries about impacts on public lands, tribal consultation, wildfire readiness, and the perceived prioritization of fossil fuel interests.
How will national parks address climate change threats after a proposed 25% budget reduction?
Will the new $10 billion D.C. beautification project come at the expense of other parks?
With fewer specialists, who now decides what history is told in America's national parks?
How will merging offshore energy agencies prevent the conflicts of interest seen before Deepwater Horizon?
How does the Interior plan to fill thousands of new firefighter jobs amid current staff cuts?
What becomes of local expertise when thousands of federal jobs are centralized in Washington?