Mike Simpson Outlines Urgent Interior Department Issues Amid Talks Of ‘Deep Funding Cuts’

Forbes Breaking News

During Tuesday’s House Appropriations Committee hearing, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) spoke about agenda items for the Department of the Interior.

Transcript

00:00It's the Secretary of Interior, Doug Berger, and I want to apologize for the half-hour late start.

00:05We were listening to the boss over in conference and consequently it got pulled back just a little bit.

00:13Mr. Secretary, this is your first formal budget hearing before our subcommittee.

00:17While I'm disappointed you didn't arrive in a covered wagon, on behalf of our members,

00:22I'd like to offer our congratulations on your confirmation.

00:25I was reading your biography, just the short one that they give us.

00:31And I'm going to read this into the record because I think it demonstrates your commitment.

00:37Under his leadership in North Dakota as North Dakota governor, he passed the largest tax cut in state history

00:45and dramatically reduced red tape.

00:48As a testament to Berger's leadership, Forbes named him America's best entrepreneurial governor.

00:54During his tenure, North Dakota experienced the highest growth in real GDP

00:59and had the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

01:02That's a pretty good record.

01:03So, welcome here today.

01:05Our hearing today will address the fiscal year 2026 budget priorities for the Department of Interior

01:09and provide you with an opportunity to outline our goals for the Department.

01:15I thoroughly enjoyed our sit-down meeting hearing firsthand about your time in the private sector

01:20as well as governor and how you plan to apply lessons learned from these experiences

01:24to address the many challenges facing the Department.

01:27As a native North Dakotan and former CEO of a successful tech company,

01:32you bring a fresh perspective to the Department.

01:34I look forward to learning how you plan to reshape the agency while promoting domestic energy production,

01:41unlocking critical minerals, addressing the maintenance backlog at our national parks and public lands,

01:46and meeting our treaty and trust obligations throughout Indian country.

01:51This committee stands ready to roll up our sleeves and work with you to implement efficiencies

01:55and reduce redundancies across the agency so that the focus can be on investments

01:59that advance the Department's core mission.

02:02Overall, the President's skinny budget for FY2026 request provides roughly $10.6 billion

02:11for the Department of Interior programs under this subcommittee's jurisdiction.

02:15While we recognize the administration proposed some deep funding cuts that we will likely do not see eye-to-eye with some of these,

02:27especially when it comes to Indian programs and the operations of our national parks,

02:30today's hearings is just the first step in our month-long budget review process.

02:35I'll note that when it comes to funding discussions ahead,

02:39this subcommittee, under both Republican and Democratic leadership,

02:42remains committed to upholding the responsibilities of fulfilling our treaty and trust responsibilities with tribes.

02:48I know you have extensive experience engaging with tribes during your time as governor.

02:56We look forward to working closely with you to prioritize this year's funding to address the greatest tribal needs,

03:02including education, law enforcement, and land management issues.

03:07In terms of policy, I look forward to learning how you are working with the White House to unleash America's energy,

03:13streamline permitting, and the Endangered Species Act reviews, and improve wildland firefighting.

03:19I also want to personally thank you and the administration for halting the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho,

03:24something that had literally no local support whatsoever.

03:28As you well know, this out-of-touch project failed to prioritize the concerns of Idahoans

03:32and was rammed through by the previous administration.

03:35Secretary Burgum, thank you again for joining us this morning.

03:38Going forward, I hope we can continue to keep an open line of communications

03:42to ensure that as this committee moves through the budget process,

03:45we can continue making sound investments to advance the administration's agenda

03:49and ensure the long-term well-being of the department.

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