Burgum's remarks came during his testimony before House and Senate appropriations committees, where he defended Trump's 2025 budget plan. Dubbed by the former president as "one big, beautiful bill," the proposal would slash $5 billion from the Department of the Interior's budget. It calls for sweeping reductions in funding for national parks, historic sites, environmental protection, and clean energy investments.
Among the proposed cuts are the elimination of billions in renewable energy incentives from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, along with cancellations of infrastructure investments and science research grants. The proposal also scales back tax credits supporting green technology development.
"This budget essentially guts a critical sector of our economy and our climate response," said Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. "It ignores the urgency of the climate crisis."
However, Burgum, a former North Dakota governor and Trump ally, downplayed those concerns. "The real existential threats we're focused on are making sure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, and ensuring the United States doesn't fall behind China in the AI arms race," he said. "If we can address those, we'll have plenty of time to tackle any temperature-related issues."
His reference to "potential temperature change" appeared to ignore the overwhelming scientific consensus that the climate emergency is already well underway. Global warming has intensified extreme weather events, reshaped ecosystems, and imposed growing economic costs on the U.S. and the world.
Since returning to office in January, Trump's administration has already overseen sweeping changes to the Department of the Interior. In just four months, 2,300 staff on probationary status have been fired, and 2,700 others have resigned after accepting buyouts, leading to widespread disruption across the agency.
"How can you hold a department accountable when half the desks are empty?" asked Republican Representative Mark Amodei of Nevada during the hearing, expressing concern about the hollowing out of the department's workforce.
Representative Pingree echoed the sentiment, stating that the department had become "destabilized" and is now struggling to fulfill its mission. "This is a stunning and troubling decline in its capacity to serve the American people," she said.
Outside the Capitol, public outrage was growing. Advocacy group Public Citizen rolled out a new campaign targeting Burgum's leadership and environmental rollbacks. A mobile billboard circled the Hill playing a video accusing the secretary of prioritizing fossil fuel interests over public land protection.
"Americans value clean air, public lands, and climate action," said Alan Zibel, research director at Public Citizen. "But what they're getting is an interior secretary more concerned with appeasing the oil and gas industry than preserving the resources we all share."
Critics say Burgum's approach reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to sideline climate policy and dismantle environmental protections, despite mounting warnings from scientists and global agencies about the irreversible damage already being done.
With Trump's 2025 budget seeking to redirect federal focus toward geopolitical threats and technological competition, climate advocates warn that delay and denial will only deepen the long-term cost of inaction.