Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is driving away staff with a toxic leadership style that has left career employees feeling dismissed and undervalued, according to former officials interviewed for a new report.
Staffers were initially optimistic when Burgum, the former North Dakota governor and tech entrepreneur, was confirmed to lead the Interior Department in 2025, but that hope has curdled into concern that the agency is poorly managed, increasingly secretive, and hemorrhaging the staff needed to oversee national parks and public lands, reported Politico.
Tony Irish, who spent more than 20 years at the department before leaving last year, said it's "abundantly clear" Burgum doesn't care about career staff.
"Burgum appears to combine arrogance with an utter lack of curiosity or humility to seek out the advice of people who have dedicated their professional careers to [Interior's] objectives," Irish said. “I think it shows his disdain for the rank and file.”
Numerous senior officials have departed since Burgum took over, including the Senate-confirmed legal counsel, his own former chief of staff, and the department's top energy official. Three former officials partly blame chief of staff JoDee Hanson, who has worked with Burgum since the 1990s, saying her management style pushed people out the door.
Staffers also describe a culture of secrecy, including NDAs for some employees, shredded documents, and disappearing Signal messages used even for routine scheduling — practices former officials say are meant to dodge federal records requirements. "They're terrified of written records," one former official said.
The complaints surface as Burgum faces separate scrutiny over Interior's handling of vandalism allegations tied to Reflecting Pool repairs, after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro accused the department of misleading prosecutors.
Interior spokesperson Katie Martin disputed the characterization, saying Burgum has led with "gratitude, humility, curiosity and courage" and dismissing the allegations as "Fake News" from people "stricken with TDS," meaning "Trump derangement syndrome." She pointed to expanded oil and gas leasing and strong park visitation as evidence of success.
The White House also defended Burgum, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying Trump has "tremendous respect" for the secretary.
Eight former Interior officials and five industry lobbyists were interviewed for the original report, many speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation.