(Washington, DC) - The U.S. Senate confirmed David Bernhardt to serve as Secretary of the Interior on a bipartisan vote of 56 - 41. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) has strongly supported this confirmation process from the beginning, emphasizing to Senate leadership that Bernhardt has demonstrated his dedication to the sportsmen's community.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (WV) - both Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (CSC) Members - were instrumental in quickly advancing Secretary Bernhardt's nomination through the Committee. Bipartisan CSC leadership, Senators Deb Fischer (NE), Martin Heinrich (NM), John Boozman (AR), and Joe Manchin (WV) all voted favorably to confirm Secretary Bernhardt.
Prior to the ENR confirmation hearing, nearly 40 of the nation's leading sporting conservation organizations, including CSF, sent a letter of support.
A Colorado native, Secretary Bernhardt is an avid sportsman and has consistently demonstrated his personal commitment to increasing public access opportunities for sportsmen and women as well as promoting sound fish and wildlife conservation policies while working to balance the Department of the Interior's (DOI) mission.
During his time as Acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary of DOI, Bernhardt issued and oversaw the implementation of several critically important Secretarial Orders. These Orders expanded hunting and fishing opportunities within the National Wildlife Refuge System, promoted efforts to advance conservation of big game winter range and migration corridors, and recognized outdoor recreation values during disposal or exchange of public lands, among other actions. Most recently, Bernhardt signed an Order directing DOI bureaus to implement an important comprehensive sportsmen's package, the John Dingell Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S. 47).
CSF President Jeff Crane currently serves as Chairman of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council, a group that advises the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture on policies that benefit hunting and recreational shooting and other conservation policies. CSF looks forward to continuing to work with Secretary Bernhardt to advance pro-sportsmen's policies and conserve the nation's fish and wildlife resources for the enjoyment of future generations.
Since 1989, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted sportsmen's organization in the political arena. CSF's mission is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. The unique and collective force of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (CSC), the Governors Sportsmen's Caucus (GSC) and the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses (NASC), working closely with CSF, and with the support of major hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping organizations, serves as an unprecedented network of pro-sportsmen elected officials that advance the interests of America's hunters and anglers.