U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today announced that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will travel to Alaska during the Memorial Day state work period. The trip will be Zinke’s first to the state since his bipartisan confirmation by the Senate in early March.

“We’re excited to announce that Secretary Zinke will visit Alaska next week,” the delegation said in a joint statement. “We look forward to showing him the beauty and potential of our state, the impact that his Department’s decisions have on our daily lives, and the opportunity to forge an even closer working relationship that helps put Alaska on a strong footing for years to come.” 

Zinke is a fifth-generation Montanan. He served as a Navy SEAL officer for more than 20 years, attaining the rank of Commander, and during that time traveled to Alaska for training missions. Zinke has also served as a member of the Montana Senate and as a U.S. Congressman for Montana. On March 1, 2017, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly confirmed him to be our nation’s 52nd Secretary of the Interior. 

Zinke will arrive in Alaska with Murkowski and several other senators on Saturday, May 27. He plans to visit Anchorage, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, and other destinations in the state, where he will meet with Department staff and local stakeholders. Sen. Sullivan and Congressman Young will also join Secretary Zinke on select portions of his travels in Alaska. Additional details about Zinke’s schedule are now available from the Department of the Interior.