North Dakota Democrat cautions #NoDAPL protesters that their cause 'isn't winnable'

The "protectors" at the Standing Rock reservation are still fighting to prevent the Dakota Access Pipeline, but they are wasting their time, according to the state's Democratic Senator.

While the Army Corps of Engineers denied approval of the permit to complete the $3.7 billion pipeline, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) says it'll ultimately be approved.

"When you look at it, we know one thing for sure: When the administration changes, the easement is going to be approved," Heitkamp said on CNBC's "Squawk Box," about the pipeline.

"I understand the frustration of the protesters, I just think that this fight is not winnable," she continued, noting she still hopes to improve living conditions for Native America communities.

Heitkamp was rumored to be under consideration for a Trump administration post after she met with the president-elect last week.

"We spent a lot of time talking about economic development, talking about energy, talking about regulation and what we need to do there, so it really was a very substantive discussion without a lot of details on positions in the Cabinet," she said.

She also said that the two discussed jobs and Trump's "myopic focus on how he's going to get American workers back into the workplace [and] provide more economic security."

North Dakota has recently been taken over by energy companies doing drilling for both oil and for natural gas. Heitkamp is up for re-election in 2018.

See her full statement below: