Murkowski Welcomes Nomination of David Bernhardt to be Interior Secretary

February 5, 2019

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after President Donald Trump announced he would nominate David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI).

“I strongly support David Bernhardt to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior. He already has helped the Department accomplish a great deal for Alaska and the nation, both as deputy secretary and as acting secretary, and he is more than capable of leading on a permanent basis. I will schedule a hearing and seek to move his nomination forward as expeditiously as possible.”

Bernhardt has served as the Acting Interior Secretary since January 2019. On July 24, 2017, the Senate confirmed Bernhardt to serve as deputy secretary of DOI with bipartisan support.

Murkowski is chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.