"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday vigorously defended firing large numbers of Interior Department staff because he said too many work in offices and too few in national parks.
“I never entered an organization that has this much redundant overhead and outdated systems,” Burgum said.
Burgum spoke before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, defending President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut Interior’s budget by 30.5%, from $16.8 billion in fiscal 2025 to $11.7 billion. The White House’s draft budget “blueprint” proposes steep reductions at the National Park Service and the US Geological Survey as well as tribal and conservation programs.
The deep cuts drew questions from lawmakers, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who said she’s concerned that staffing reductions at Interior could undercut the White House’s policy goals."
Bobby Magill reports for Bloomberg Environment May 21, 2025.
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