Recent Press Releases

Thune: Doug Burgum Knows That America’s Natural Resources are Our Greatest National Asset

“I might argue with Governor Burgum over whether North Dakota’s Badlands are, in his words, ‘significantly badder’ than South Dakota’s, but I can’t argue with his record of success.”

January 30, 2025

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, later today the Senate will vote on former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s nomination to be secretary of the interior.

“Governor Burgum knows that America’s natural resources are our greatest national asset.

“And in the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt, he believes energy can be a ‘big stick’ to promote peace and prosperity.

“But we have to be able to leverage our resources.

“Too often, under the Biden administration, the Interior Department was the tip of the spear in restricting development of America’s resources.

“The Biden administration seemed to believe that land use and conservation were mutually exclusive.

“But people in places like my state and Governor Burgum’s, where the land is part of our way of life, know that the farmer, the rancher, the forester, and other landowners are some of the best conservationists.

“And I’m pleased that Governor Burgum is committed to restoring the multiple-use approach to managing public lands.

“Mr. President, I might argue with Governor Burgum over whether North Dakota’s Badlands are, in his words, ‘significantly badder’ than South Dakota’s, but I can’t argue with his record of success.

“He literally bet the family farm on a small technology company, and he grew it into a major player in a then-nascent sector.

“When he turned his sights on public service, he made a huge impact on North Dakota.

“He leveraged the state’s natural resources to grow its economy and attract talented people to move to the Great Plains.

“And he will bring the same data-driven, consensus-based, ‘think big’ work ethic to his work as secretary of the interior.

“I look forward to working with him to protect our public lands and leverage some of America’s greatest assets for a safer and more prosperous future.”