DOGE Just Took Over National Parks

Wes Siler’s Newsletter: “Elon Musk is now effectively in charge of America’s public lands,” says Jennifer Rokala, executive director at the Center for Western Priorities. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum just issued an order ceding oversight of the Department of the Interior to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (which is not a government department at all), and handing to it total authority over DOI’s workforce and budget. DOI manages the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and more. Its operations cover 20 percent of the nation’s total land area. “The purpose of this Order is to authorize and direct the actions necessary to effectuate the consolidation, unification and optimization of administrative functions within the Department of the Interior,” reads Burgum’s order. “The Assistant Secretary – Policy, Management and Budget (AS-PMB) is hereby assigned to lead and coordinate the consolidation, unification and optimization efforts within the Department and its Bureaus and Offices.” “The purpose of this Order is to authorize and direct the actions necessary to effectuate the consolidation, unification and optimization of administrative functions within the Department of the Interior,” reads Burgum’s order. “The Assistant Secretary – Policy, Management and Budget (AS-PMB) is hereby assigned to lead and coordinate the consolidation, unification and optimization efforts within the Department and its Bureaus and Offices.” The person currently serving as AS-PMB (which in normal times would require Senate confirmation) is DOGE operative Tyler Hassen, the CEO of a Houston-based energy company. “The order does not require Hassen to report back to Burgum regarding the reorganization, nor does it reserve any authority to Burgum if Hassen were to fire thousands of public lands managers, park rangers, or wildfire specialists across the country,” explains CWP. Burgum’s order details Hassen’s new responsibilities…”