Interior Secretary nominee draws praise from tribal leaders

Gov. Doug Burgum, R-ND., speaks during the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate expressed joy regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Late Thursday night, news broke that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was tapped to serve in President elect Donald Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of the Department of the Interior, replacing Laguna Pueblo leader Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the position.

“I have full confidence that Gov. Burgum’s heart and intentions are in a place that will ensure tribal nations are heard and respected in the decisions that shape our shared future,” said Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Chairman J. Garrett Renville in a statement to ICT and the Rapid City Journal.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Burgum would be responsible for the management of public lands and the protection of wildlife, national parks and monuments. Burgum also would oversee many tribal functions, particularly the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education.

Compared to his neighbor South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was tapped by Trump to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security and is currently banned from all nine South Dakota reservations, Burgum has a much better reputation and relationship with tribes in North Dakota and is credited with significantly improving dialogue between the state and five tribes.

Burgum was born and raised in small-town North Dakota and first took office as governor in 2016. Not long after he took office, protests broke out near Cannon Ball, N.D., over the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

Fearing escalation, Burgum ordered all protesters leave the encampments by Feb. 22, 2017, saying he did not want protesters to be removed by force. The state is currently seeking to recoup $38 million from the federal government, under the Federal Tort Claims Act, saying it spent that amount policing the Standing Rock protesters. Burgum testified on Feb. 24 in the federal trial. The case is still ongoing.

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