Simpson Remarks at Budget Hearing on the Department of the Interior

The Committee will come to order. This morning I’d like to welcome the 55th Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum. Mr. Secretary, this is your first formal budget hearing before our subcommittee. While I am disappointed you didn’t arrive in a covered wagon, on behalf of our Members, I’d like to offer our congratulations on your confirmation. 

Our hearing today will address the Fiscal Year 2026 budget priorities for the Department of the Interior and provide you with an opportunity to outline your goals for the Department. I thoroughly enjoyed our sit-down meeting hearing firsthand about your time in the private sector as well as governor – and how you plan to apply lessons learned from these experiences to address the many challenges facing the Department. 

As a native North Dakotan and former CEO of a successful tech company, you bring a fresh perspective to the Department.  I look forward to learning how you plan to reshape the agency while promoting domestic energy production, unlocking critical minerals, addressing the maintenance backlogs at our national parks and public lands, and meeting our treaty and trust obligations throughout Indian Country.

This Committee stands ready to roll up our sleeves and work with you to implement efficiencies and reduce redundancies across the agency so that the focus can be on investments that advance the Department’s core mission. Overall, the President’s skinny Fiscal Year 2026 budget request provides roughly $10.6 billion for Department of the Interior programs under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction.

While we recognize the administration proposed some deep funding cuts that we likely do not see eye to eye with – especially when it comes to Indian programs and the operation of our Park System – today’s hearing is just the first step in our months-long budget review process. I’ll note that when it comes to the funding discussions ahead, this subcommittee – under both Republican and Democratic leadership – remains committed to upholding the responsibility of fulfilling our treaty and trust obligations with the Tribes. 

I know you have extensive experience engaging with the Tribes during your time as governor, so we look forward to working closely with you to prioritize this year’s funding to address the greatest Tribal needs including education, law enforcement, and land management issues. In terms of policy, I look forward to learning how you are working with the White House to unleash American energy, streamline permitting and Endangered Species Act reviews, and improve wildland firefighting.  I also want to personally thank you and the administration for halting the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho. 

As you well know, this out-of-touch project failed to prioritize the concerns of Idahoans and was rammed through by the previous administration. Secretary Burgum, thank you again for joining us this morning. 

Going forward, I hope we can continue to keep an open line of communication to ensure that as this Committee moves through the budget process, we can continue making sound investments to advance the administration’s agenda and ensure the long-term well-being of the Department.  With that, I yield to the Ranking Member – Ms. Pingree – for any opening remarks she would like to make.