The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) announced its support for the confirmation of Doug Burgum, former Governor of North Dakota, to serve as the 55th Secretary of the Department of the Interior. President Donald J. Trump nominated Governor Burgum on November 15, 2024, for this position, and his nomination was approved by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on January 23, 2025, with an 18-2 vote. The nomination now heads to the full U.S. Senate.

One of the core missions of the NRA is to promote hunter safety and to promote and defend hunting as a shooting sport. This includes recognizing hunting as a vital and necessary method for fostering the propagation, growth, conservation, and wise use of our renewable wildlife resources. The federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior are crucial to this mission.

“On behalf of the millions of NRA members across the country, I am proud to offer NRA’s support of Governor Burgum’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of the Interior,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “As Governor, Burgum championed policies to preserve North Dakota’s hunting heritage for current and future generations. We are confident that Governor Burgum will effectively manage our federal public lands and therefore strongly endorse his nomination. We urge the U.S. Senate to act swiftly and confirm President Trump’s nomination of Doug Burgum.”

Throughout his career in public service, Governor Burgum has demonstrated a profound commitment to the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans and a deep respect for our hunting heritage. As Governor, Burgum signed several NRA-sponsored pieces of legislation into law. Upon entering office, he signed a bill to make North Dakota the 12th state to enact Constitutional Carry. Burgum also signed the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law, expanded opportunities to lawfully carry, and declared North Dakota as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State.” Most recently, he signed legislation to protect the privacy rights of North Dakotans by prohibiting credit card issuers from surveilling lawful purchases.

Earlier this week, Mr. Commerford delivered a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) indicating NRA’s support of Governor Burgum’s nomination.