Free Republic

The former North Dakota governor's priorities are national security issues and the economy

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee pushed the confirmation hearing scheduled for Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum from Tuesday to Thursday because the chamber has yet to receive required ethics paperwork. Sen. Mike Lee, the panel’s chairman, said Mr. Burgum promptly submitted his paperwork to the Office of Government Ethics, which has yet to complete its review. “This bureaucratic delay is unacceptable,” the Utah Republican said. “To ensure transparency and uphold the integrity of this process, the committee will postpone Governor Burgum’s hearing until Thursday. However, we expect OGE to act with urgency and complete its review without further...

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his aides have taken several flights on private or military aircraft, including a $12,000 charter plane to take him to events in his hometown in Montana and private flights between two Caribbean islands, according to documents and a department spokeswoman. Zinke is at least the fourth senior member of the Trump administration to have used non-commercial planes at taxpayer expense, along with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and HHS Secretary Tom Price. President Donald Trump has fumed at Price's pricey travel, and Democrats say the revelations demonstrate a cavalier attitude by Cabinet...

Energy The administration asked for public comments on a plan to expand offshore drilling. When they came in 2-to-1 in favor, the Interior Department sat on the news. Time for a "Texas tea" party? When you ask for public comment on a major policy issue, at some point you should make the results public, not hide them until you can figure out a way to spin the public reaction to support a conclusion you've already drawn. On its last business day in office, the Bush administration published a proposed draft of a five-year plan to lease areas in the Atlantic...

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