Hirono Presses Burgum on Efforts to Erase U.S. History, Staffing Cuts, Demands Accountability

~ Watch Senator Hirono's Questions Here~

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), questioned U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum on the Department's efforts to remove mentions of key aspects of U.S. History, including slavery, in national parks across the country. In the full Committee hearing, Hirono also raised alarms about staff vacancies across DOI and the Secretary's failure to account for how many jobs have been cut following multiple rounds of firings and early retirements.

"Mr. Secretary, is slavery a partisan ideology?" asked Senator Hirono.

Earlier this year, Senator Hirono joined her Democratic colleagues in the Senate in sending a letter to Secretary Burgum demanding answers from the National Park Service (NPS) following reports that NPS staff across the country are removing signage from national parks about slavery, Tribal history, and climate change. Secretary Burgum failed to address the questions posed, instead stating that "NPS […] must ensure park interpreted materials accurately reflect American history and not partisan ideology."

At the hearing, Secretary Burgum refused to answer Senator Hirono's straightforward question.

According to reports, Trump Administration officials have ordered national parks to remove dozens of signs and displays related to slavery, climate change, environmental protection, and settlers' mistreatment of Native Americans in a renewed push to implement President Donald Trump's executive order on "restoring truth and sanity to American history."

Senator Hirono also pressed Secretary Burgum on staffing cuts across DOI after his failure to account for how many employees had been fired or forced into early retirement.

"Where are we in terms of how many employees you have?" asked Senator Hirono.

DOI is made up of 11 bureaus including the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs-all of which have faced significant staff cuts in the past year according to reports. Prior to President Trump's 2025 inauguration, DOI employed approximately 70,000 staff. The Department has yet to provide updated numbers of how many DOI employees remain.

Today, Secretary Burgum was once again unable to provide an accurate assessment.

"I find it totally unacceptable that you don't know what's going on in your own department," said Senator Hirono.

Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, Senator Hirono has been raising alarms about the Trump Administration's attacks on the federal workforce and funding at DOI. In March 2025, Senator Hirono took to the Senate Floor to highlight the impacts of these mass firings on the interdiction of brown tree snakes, a highly invasive species. Following the administration's attacks, Senator Hirono urged Secretary Burgum to reinstate the DOI's Fish and Wildlife Services probationary employees in Hawaii who were hastily fired by the Trump Administration, emphasizing the important roles they serve in preserving Hawaii's environment and natural resources. In February 2025, Senator Hirono urged Secretary Burgum to resolve staffing shortages at NPS, following President Trump's hiring freeze and buyout offers.

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