U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum testifies during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the Trump administration’s approach to energy production on Monday, after Democrats on the U.S. House Appropriations panel accused the department of bowing to oil and gas interests at the expense of renewable energy.
Burgum said President Donald Trump’s administration aimed to ease regulatory burdens on oil and gas producers, and said former President Joe Biden sought to shut down those industries in a misguided attempt to boost renewable energy sources.
Burgum pointed out in several places that what Democrats called a pro-oil and gas bias was a corrective to Biden’s “over-rotation” toward wind and solar energy.
“The last administration said ‘all of the above,’ and then they put in place a set of policies that absolutely punish what we needed to, you know, have base power in this country,” he said of Biden’s oil and gas policies. “It was just too early. It was too soon to say we would end it all and retire.”
But Democrats on the House Appropriations and Environment Subcommittee said Burgum’s Interior Department is doing exactly the opposite: subsidizing fossil fuels while discouraging solar and wind energy.
“Shortly after taking office, the White House moved quickly to halt offshore wind development and took steps to restrict solar and wind projects,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine. “Why? Why are we crushing industries that create jobs, expand our energy supply and help address the climate crisis? Because this administration’s energy policy is based on political grievances, ideological hostility and, of course, support for large oil and gas markets.”
California Democrat Josh Harder has called for changing permitting laws to allow for faster construction of renewable energy infrastructure. He said some of that responsibility fell to Congress, but complained that Trump was making wind and solar projects even more hard.
“There is again one standard for one type of energy and another for another type,” he said. “I hear complaints about previous administrations putting their thumbs on the scale. Now I see that one type of project requires secretary-level approval and another doesn’t. And again, I don’t think that’s sustainable or good policy.”
Burgum responded that the administration favors hydropower and nuclear power but is concerned about “weather-dependent, intermittent” solar and wind power because those sources could be more costly for ratepayers.
Cuts to parks, Education Bureau of India
The topic of Monday’s hearing was Trump’s $16 billion budget request for the Interior Department for the next fiscal year. The proposal would keep the department’s funding at roughly the current fiscal year level, which was a nearly 12% reduction from fiscal year 2025.
Democrats have expressed disapproval of this fresh baseline, which includes $757 million in cuts to the National Park Service.
“The department is on a dangerous course,” Pingree said. “This budget would only worsen the damage, and as a ranking member of the subcommittee, I will do everything in my power to oppose these reckless cuts and fight the administration’s destructive policies.”
Members of both parties have raised questions about proposed cuts to the Indian Education Bureau’s budget after the Department of Education transferred some of its responsibilities in this area to Home Affairs.
BIE would receive approximately $437 million less within the proposed budgetwhich means a reduction of approximately 32%.
“As your agency begins to administer these new programs, I strongly recommend — and I am sure you will — conduct thorough tribal consultations to ensure there are no delays in appropriations or program disruptions that could potentially harm,” Appropriations Committee Full Chairman Tom Cole told Burgum.
Cole, an Oklahoma Republican and member of the Chickasaw Nation, is the first Native American to lead the Appropriations Committee.
Full committee rankings Democrat Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who is also the top Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees Department of Education funding, expressed concern about the change.
“I’m concerned about programs being moved out of Education,” she said. “Frankly, (BIE) doesn’t have a very good track record, and I don’t know if the funding that comes with these programs will be forthcoming.”
Burgum said 16 full-time employees of four Department of Education programs would be transferred to BIE along with all program funding.
Local problems
Members also raised a number of specific concerns.
Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum criticized last week’s U.S. Senate vote to roll back mining restrictions in Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota.
Rep. Jake Ellzey, a Republican from Texas, has spent much of his time focusing on penniless conditions at Fort Washington in Maryland, a National Park Service facility a compact drive from Washington
Ellzey pointed to photos of buildings in need of repairs and noted that a longtime park ranger retired last year and her role had not been filled, leaving only two rangers left on the nearly 350 acres.
And subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, joked that his top priority is the Bureau of Land Management’s $144 million wild horse and burro program.
“If we can solve this problem, I don’t care what happens to the rest of the budget,” Simpson said. “We’ve been trying to deal with this for so long it’s crazy.”
