Rounds Meets with David Bernhardt, President's Nominee to be Interior Secretary

Statement

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today met with David Bernhardt, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Bernhardt has been serving as Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior since January 2019. He was confirmed by the Senate to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior in 2017.

"I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Acting Secretary Bernhardt prior to the Senate vote on his confirmation to be Secretary of the Interior," said Rounds. "Like many of us in South Dakota, Mr. Bernhardt is an avid hunter and angler and has great respect for our natural resources. We discussed the need to implement the Landowner Conservation Education program, an amendment I offered that was included in the Natural Resources Management Act earlier this year. I also thanked him for his agency's timely response to concerns from South Dakotans about the Fish and Wildlife Service's prescribed burn policy, which is impacting pheasant nesting and hunting in northeastern South Dakota. I look forward to continue working with him on matters important to South Dakota after he is confirmed."

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