On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate confirmed former North Dakota Governor and businessman Doug Burgum to become Interior secretary, a big step forward for President Donald Trump‘s “energy dominance” agenda.

The final vote was 79-18, with many Democrat members joining with their Republican colleagues in supporting Burgum’s nomination to the Cabinet role in Trump’s second term. Another three senators did not vote.

On X, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he looked forward to working with Burgum to “protect our public lands and leverage some of America’s greatest assets for a safer, more prosperous future.”

Burgum ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 race, but dropped out and endorsed Trump. He was reportedly a finalist to become Trump’s running mate before now-Vice President JD Vance got the nod.

In November, Trump announced that he picked Burgum to lead the Department of Interior, which manages public lands and deals with Native American relations, as well as a new National Energy Council.

“Doug Burgum will protect our Nation’s Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!” Trump said in a statement.

In his confirmation hearing for Interior, Burgum testified about Trump’s “energy dominance” vision. He argued that shutting down U.S. energy production to help the global environment was a “false tradeoff.”

Burgum advanced out of committee by an 18-2 vote. His final confirmation vote was very bipartisan, but it fell short of the unanimous show of support that Secretary of State Marco Rubio received.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and EPA head Lee Zeldin have also been confirmed.

Other nominees are still working their way through the Senate. Democrats have sought to impede the confirmation process, such as forcing procedural votes, an effort that has earned stern rebukes from the GOP.

Among the next Cabinet picks poised to get a confirmation vote is Christopher Wright, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Energy. Wright was also chosen to serve as a member of the National Energy Council.

“This team will drive U.S. Energy Dominance, which will drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World,” Trump said.

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​[[{“value”:”

On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate confirmed former North Dakota Governor and businessman Doug Burgum to become Interior secretary, a big step forward for President Donald Trump‘s “energy dominance” agenda.

The final vote was 79-18, with many Democrat members joining with their Republican colleagues in supporting Burgum’s nomination to the Cabinet role in Trump’s second term. Another three senators did not vote.

On X, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he looked forward to working with Burgum to “protect our public lands and leverage some of America’s greatest assets for a safer, more prosperous future.”

Burgum ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 race, but dropped out and endorsed Trump. He was reportedly a finalist to become Trump’s running mate before now-Vice President JD Vance got the nod.

In November, Trump announced that he picked Burgum to lead the Department of Interior, which manages public lands and deals with Native American relations, as well as a new National Energy Council.

“Doug Burgum will protect our Nation’s Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!” Trump said in a statement.

In his confirmation hearing for Interior, Burgum testified about Trump’s “energy dominance” vision. He argued that shutting down U.S. energy production to help the global environment was a “false tradeoff.”

Burgum advanced out of committee by an 18-2 vote. His final confirmation vote was very bipartisan, but it fell short of the unanimous show of support that Secretary of State Marco Rubio received.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and EPA head Lee Zeldin have also been confirmed.

Other nominees are still working their way through the Senate. Democrats have sought to impede the confirmation process, such as forcing procedural votes, an effort that has earned stern rebukes from the GOP.

Among the next Cabinet picks poised to get a confirmation vote is Christopher Wright, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Energy. Wright was also chosen to serve as a member of the National Energy Council.

“This team will drive U.S. Energy Dominance, which will drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World,” Trump said.

“}]] 

 

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