Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is promising President Trump a “fight” over the proposed budget cuts that are being considered for his agency.
“I looked at the budget,” Zinke said. “I’m not happy,” he said in addressing Interior Department employees during his second day on the job.
“But we’re going to fight about it,” he said. “And I think I’m going to win at the end of the day, and make sure that our values are articulated … and make sure that the administration understands.”
Zinke is a former commander of the Navy special forces team SEAL Team Six. Zinke said he hasn’t lost a fight yet.
Trump is reportedly asking Zinke to cut the department’s budget by 10 percent, or about $1.3 billion based on Interior’s current $13.3 billion budget. The cuts were reported by E&E News on Thursday, which cited sources within the Office of Management and Budget.
Zinke is worried that if Trump’s cuts go through, it could place the national parks, for example, in a state of disrepair. The parks already have a $12 billion maintenance backlog.
He said the Interior Department will be reorganized, but it will be done in a way that helps the agency do its job better. Zinke said his goal is that Interior “be the best department in the government,” he added.
“I expect all of us not to lose. We’re going to win,” he said.
“If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right,” Zinke added. “If we’re doing it wrong, we aren’t doing it.”
