Congressman Kelly Armstrong's Statement on the Confirmation of David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary

WASHINGTON - Congressman Kelly Armstrong released the following statement today on the U.S. Senate's confirmation of David Bernhardt as Secretary of the Department of the Interior:

"David Bernhardt's record of standing up for responsible stewardship of our country's natural resources will be an asset to the Interior Department and the country. I look forward to working with him to advance North Dakota's priorities, including public land management and our commitment to Native American communities."

Armstrong is serving his first term representing the state of North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Background:

Today, the United States Senate confirmed David Bernhardt to be the 53rd Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) with a bipartisan vote of 56-41.

The Senate has now confirmed David Bernhardt three times. He has served honorably at DOI as Solicitor, Deputy Secretary, Acting Secretary and now Secretary.

As Secretary of the Interior, Bernhardt will lead an agency with more than 70,000 employees who are stewards for 20 percent of the nation's lands, including national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges and other public lands.

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