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

“I strongly support David Bernhardt to serve as Secretary of the Interior. He is an excellent choice and has demonstrated he is more than capable of leading on a permanent basis. It is critical that our Interior Secretary understand Alaska and I have no doubt he will continue to be a strong partner for our state. I will schedule a hearing and seek to move his nomination forward as expeditiously as possible.”

Bernhardt has served as 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.