Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says one-third of his department isn't loyal to Trump

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 26 September 2017

During a speech to the National Petroleum Council, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he thinks 30 percent of his department's employees are not loyal to him or President Trump.

The Interior Department has 70,000 employees, and Zinke told the oil industry group that "30 percent of the crew" isn't "loyal to the flag. We do have good people, but the direction has to be clear and you've got to hold people accountable." Without giving away many details, Zinke said he wants to reorganize the department because he "can't really change the culture without changing the structure."

Zinke made several remarks that were likely well-received by his audience, like that he wants to make it easier for companies to get permits for oil drilling and logging and he thinks the Endangered Species Act has been "abused" by environmental groups and bureaucrats, The Associated Press reports. When it comes to energy development, "the president wants it yesterday," he said. "We have to do it by the law."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox