Heads of the nation’s top energy and environment agencies will be on Capitol Hill this week defending the administration’s budget request and taking heat from lawmakers about layoff and funding freezes.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will face House and Senate appropriators this week in his first visit to Capitol Hill since the former Republican governor of North Dakota sailed through his confirmation hearing in January.
This visit could prove more contentious, as lawmakers weigh the administration’s proposal to eliminate 30 percent of Interior’s budget, amid wider efforts to slim the ranks of the department’s more than 60,000-strong workforce and cut through its myriad environmental and energy regulations.
The White House has proposed an $11.7 billion budget for Interior, down $5 billion from its current spending levels, with widespread cuts to areas like national parks, historical preservation and law enforcement on tribal lands.
