North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, once on the short list of potential Republican Presidential running mates, has officially found his niche in the Trump administration with his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior. This is a huge win for hunters, as Burgum has long been known for his strong support of conservation, and hunter-based conservation initiatives specifically. In a sign of his unquestionable qualification for the position, Burgum was confirmed in a heavily bipartisan vote of 79-18.
The NRA Institute for Legislation (NRA-ILA) stood in strong support of Gov. Burgum’s nomination, sending a letter of endorsement earlier this week to Senate majority leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate minority leader Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). The letter outlined the ways in which fostering the propagation, growth, conservation and wise use of renewable wildlife resources in the federal lands managed by the DOI are crucial to the mission of your National Rifle Association, and urged a "yes" vote on Burgum for those reasons.
“Throughout his career in public service, Gov. Burgum has demonstrated respect for hunting as primary use of public lands and his commitment to protecting and expanding access for hunters and recreational shooters,” the letter stated. “Gov. Burgum possesses a unique understanding of the management issues that fall under the purview of the DOI.”
Based on Gov. Burgum’s proven leadership, which includes providing protections for defensive firearm use and expanding constitutional carry, the NRA letter strongly endorsed his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior, stating, “...we have every confidence Doug Burgum will work diligently to preserve and protect America’s hunting heritage and effectively manage our public lands.” Due to the importance of this issue to NRA members and America’s tens of millions of hunters and gun owners, it shared that “votes on his confirmation will be considered in future candidate evaluations and we will notify our members accordingly.”
For more on this sort of news, check back with us here, or head on over to the NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum.
