Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt urging him to remove William Perry Pendley from his position leading the Bureau of Land Management. The Senators also call on the President to nominate a qualified director for consideration through the regular confirmation process.
Following a letter from the Democratic Caucus to President Trump last week, it was reported that the White House will be withdrawing Pendley’s nomination. However, Pendley signed a succession order himself months ago that could keep him indefinitely in his role leading the BLM.
“We are pleased to hear that the President has decided to withdraw Mr. William Perry Pendley’s nomination to be director of the Bureau of Land Management. We have grave concerns, however, with reports that Mr. Pendley will continue to lead the bureau through his current position as deputy director, exercising the authority of the director,” wrote the Senators. “For the same reasons that Mr. Pendley is unfit to be confirmed as director, he is unfit to exercise the authority of the director without being confirmed, and we ask that you remove Mr. Pendley from this position. We also call on the President to nominate a qualified director for consideration through the regular confirmation process.”
Full text of the letter can be found here.
###