mr. bernhardt clear, but if mr. bernhardt is confirmed, one of his most important duties will be honoring our trust responsibility to native americans. on this count i hope he will do better than what the trump interior department has shown us so far. as the vice chair of the senate committee on indian affairs, i want to ensure that the department respects tribe sovereignty and self-determination and engages in meaningful consultation with tribes. the trump administration's record with tribes and native communities is to -- is, to put it lightly, lacking. the tribes in new mexico do not believe they are being properly consulted as leasing pushes ahead close to chaco canyon. and for three years running, the administration has proposed budgets that would significantly cut b.i.a. and b.i.e. funding. those are education budgets and budgets that help native americans on their reservations. congress has historically worked to cross party lines on native issues and congress rejected the administration's proposed cuts for fi

mr. bernhardt. i would tell folks that what needs to happen here, we need to move forward. we need to reject the last-minute rhetoric that's designed to delay. we need to confirm a well- qualified candidate to be our next secretary of the interior. we have a lot to do. r interior has a lot to do to make sure we're protecting our lands, increasing our energy security as well as fulfilling all the missions of the department. and the sooner we are able to confirm a secretary to focus on them, the better. mr. president, mr. bernhardt is very well qualified to be the secretary of of the interior. he has the right background, the right experience and the right perspective for the job. he's ready to lead on a permanent basis, and i'm glad that very shortly here we're going to be considering his nomination. and i would strongly encourage every member of chamber to support his confirmation. i have an additional statement that i would ask unanimous consent be included as part of the record that goes into more

mr. bernhardt. appreciate your comments this morning. let's go ahead and begin with a round of questions. i have noted in my opening statement i was reaffirmed by senator manchin as well as senator gartner that in terms of qualification, experience within the interior department, you really come to us with a set of qualifications and again experience that we really seldom see i think is unparalleled in terms of the time and the extent of your background in these areas. so i would begin my question then was something that is not related to the experience, that may be experience of the time you worked within the department. you are not the first nominee who has worked somewhere else in the past and has had refusals as a result. but for whatever reason you seem to have outside groups working harder again your nomination than most anybody else we've had in front of us. i'm sure we'll hear some discussion about that here today. so at the outset, i will ask you how you handle or how you will handle aspect

mr. bernhardt is qualified to do this job. along with mr. bernhardt's professional career, i believe it's important to fully understand his background and foundation of his interest in public lands which further qualifies him for this role. he is from the outskirts of the small town of rifle, located on colorado's western slope. few represent the body of the agency. few have an understanding of this public land. growing up in rural colorado has instilled in him western values and interests, and to this day mr. bernhardt enjoys hunting, recreation, the outdoors and fishing. rifle is in an area where 60% of the lands are public lands. rifle was founded as a ranching community along the colorado river and retains that heritage today along with tremendous opportunities for outdoor activities. it sits at the edge of the basin, an area in colorado that has vast amounts of natural gas. mr. bernhardt grew up in the oil shale boom and bust and said that the boom and bust has made him more sensitive to the potential benefits and potential impacts, both

mr. bernhardt's lobbying activities. we need answers on whether or not mr. bernhardt used his position at the department of the interior to help former clients. the american people need to see the documents associated with bernhardt's lobbying activities. and most importantly, we should not confirm a former oil lobbyist to lead the very agency that is tasked with protecting our public lands from de-spoilization. let me point to the wheel of giveaways for more oil, more oil. that's the goal of his appointment. the arctic national wildlife refuge is one of our national treasures that is under threat from big oil and the trump administration. this is the wildest place left in america, and it should not be turned into a drilling playground. yet, republicans here in the senate voted in 2017 to hand this special place, the arctic refuge over to big oil. and now, this administration is trying to hit the gas on drilling there, in one of the earth's most pristine wilderness areas. now, last year, mr. bernhardt said that he would, quote, expedite oil development in the

mr. david bernhardt as the next secretary of the interior. mr. bernhardt is uniquely prepared to ascend to this position after a career spent leading several of the department's wings. as chief of staff to the secretary, as director of congressional and legislative affairs, and as a senate confirmed solicitor under president bush. these positions encompass the policy, managerial, intergovernmental and oversight roles any sitting secretary needs to master. he's ready to hit the ground running as one of the most knowledgeable and upstanding secretaries in the department's history. and as a colorado native, mr. bernhardt has repeatededly demonstrated a capacity to translate his vast knowledge of water, public lands and other western resources into policies that work in our home state and throughout the west. he understands our issues and i know he'll continue to fight for what is best for colorado and for the whole country. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the district of columbia seek rec

mr. mcconnell: today the senate will vote to confirm the will vote to confirm the >> to confirm the president's choice to serve as secretary of the interior david bernhardt is no stranger to the department

41 largely along party lines in favor of david bernhardt's confirmation. ,oe mansion of west virginia senator kyrsten sinema of arizona and -- supported mrby heart -- also yesterday in the senate from the wall street journal, there was a hearing on capitol hill before the senate armed fervor is -- armed services committee on this idea coming out of the white house for a space force, a separate military branch that would solely focus on space. the headline in the wall street journal, senators bring proposed force down to earth. we covered that hearing and if you want to watch and listen, go to our website, c-span.org. let's go back to our calls, beth in pennsylvania, republican. good morning to you. tell us about your thoughts on the house democrat in control of that chamber. caller: yeah, hi. i would definitely give them an f mainly because they seem to just resist everything the president has tried to do, but mostly because up until this president came in, they were for some kind of border patrol and -- i should not say border patrol, but for some sort of border and immigration reform or doing something about it and now they have totall

expected to continue work on the nomination of david bernhardt to become the next interior secretary replacing ryan zinke. he's been the acting secretary since mrzinke resigned in january. now live to the senate floor on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will open the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty savior, the way, the truth, and the life, shed your light today upon the pathway of our senators.

mr. bernhardt's nomination. both sides have scrutinized his record carefully as we should, considering the enormous responsibility and trust to the secretary of interior. whether it be payments for healthcare benefits, processing permits for the privilege of energy production on federal lands or ensuring the u.s. geological survey can conduct its critical work of collecting and analyzing data, on our changing climate, the department of interior has a huge amount of responsibility and diverse jurisdiction. further more, the secretary of interior is the guardian of our nation's greatest natural resources. the department of the interior manages nearly half a billion acres of federal land or about 20% of the nation's land. one of every five acres in the united states is under their control. these lands include some of our most special places, our national parks, trails, seashores and historic sites. in addition, the department manages another 1.7 billion acres of submerged lands on the outcontinental shelf. -- outer

mr. bernhardt. some will continue to make allegations over ethics, but the fact of the matter is we have reviewed those charges. we found nothing that should hold him back. i know this has been a subject of discussion here on the senate floor, so i want to lay out very clearly. there are some news stories that are being printed and have been printed that are filled with old information that's already been reviewed by our committee staff. news stories, old facts. they don't contain anything new or anything disqualifying. there's nothing amiss here, and there's no valid reason to delay this process. the office of government ethics has certified that mr. bernhardt is in good standing, so has interior's designated agency ethics official. my committee staff has contacted interior's inspector general. it's been confirmed that there are no open investigations into mr. bernhardt. so i would -- i would tell folks that what needs to happen here, we need to move forward. we need to reject the last-minute rheto

mr. bernhardt at the department? the the american people deserve an interior secretary devoted to the mission of the department, not the special interests of his former lobbyist clients. i urge my colleagues to oppose this nomination, await the i.g. report before voting on his nomination, and one would hope, with all these conflicts that he has to carry around in his pocket, surely we can come up with someone to lead this department who actually has a mission of the -- the mission of the department as his calling. that is not the case with mr. bernhardt. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, and pursuant to senate res. 155, the senate stands adjourned until 10 clock a.m. on april 11. clock a.m. on april 11. >>. >> prime minister may was in brussels asking the european union for a second delay to britain's exit before that meeting the prime minister took questions from the british house of commons several members also acknowledge the 21st anniversary of the good friday agreement, the 1998

mr. bernhardt? well, mr. president, the secretary of interior, the department of interior is really, really important to america. it is critically important to my state, the great state of alaska. we have over 200 million acres of land under department of interior control in alaska. 200 million acres. that's over two times the size of california. in fact, a quarter of all the lands that the department of interior manages for the united states of america reside in alaska. let me repeat that. one-quarter of all the lands that the secretary of interior manages in america are in my state. so we take this role of secretary of interior very, very seriously, which is why i wanted to come to the floor and, again, thank secretary bernhardt, let him know that even though there was a lot of senators down here really ripping into him, that the vast majority of us -- 56 of us at least -- think that he's -- think that he's going to do a great job. why do we think that, mr. secretary? well, certainly with regard to alaska,

mr. bernhardt to discuss his qualifications. i'm letting him know now i will ask him the same three questions that i have asked my republican colleagues in this chamber. one, does mr. bern heart a -- bernhardt agree that climate change is real. two, does he agree it is a product of human action, and, three, should the federal government have a role in combating its effects. his answers have been no, but let's hear what he says today. caring for our planet and being stewards for our natural resources is very important. i'm gravely concerned about bernhardt's nomination to the department of interior and i urge my colleagues to vote no on his confirmation. one final point. it still amazes me donald trump campaigns on cleaning up the swamp and he does exactly the opposite when in office. an oil and gas lobbist as head of the department of interior. my god, that's an example of the swam biness -- swam biness of washington. when will his supporters understand that what he promised he's not delivering. it's befuddling. it's a sign of th

mr. mcconnell: today the senate will vote to confirm the will vote to confirm the >> to confirm the president's choice to serve as secretary of the interior david bernhardt is no stranger to the department has served twice before he has been confirmed twice before. each time for dedication and has offered cable leadership onol the complex environment of public lands and the expertise has not gone unnoticed. was a growing list of more than 40 stakeholder organizations from agriculture and trade in conservation and native americanat organizations they describe him as a leader sorely needed for the lands that he manages to the public so we have an opportunity to confirm to be a steward of our nation's public lands and resources. yesterday our colleagues voted to end debate on and nomination. of course madame president confirming him is in a series of many on the executive calendar accomplishments following on the heels of the historic tradition ofra confirming nominations we have been able to approve the nominees at a more reasonable pace in the last several days. after all of the breathless warnings our colleagues issued about the kind of people we have be