Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming the announcement of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as the nominee for Secretary of the Interior.

“Governor Burgum is a seasoned executive as a two-term governor and former technology CEO, and a great choice to lead the Department of the Interior,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “American Samoa’s closest working relationship with the federal government is through the Interior Department, and we can know that it will be in good hands with this excellent nomination.”

“As the Governor of North Dakota, he already understands the challenges faced by geographically remote small communities, has worked with indigenous people groups in his state, and has expertise in technology development and distribution — all great foundations for working with American Samoa.”

Samoa News should point out that the DOI is responsible for essential funding for American Samoa, and who is at the helm of DOI is of vital importance to the Territory.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT GOV. BURGUM

Burgum, 68, grew up in tiny Arthur, North Dakota, population 328. He earned a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and his master’s of business administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

He went on to become a wealthy software executive. He led Great Plains Software, which Microsoft acquired for $1.1 billion in 2001. Burgum stayed on as a vice president until 2007. He’s also led other companies in real estate development and venture capital.

In 2016, Burgum ran for governor, his first campaign for elected office. He touted a message of “reinventing” government as the state dealt with a massive revenue shortfall.

In a major upset, Burgum defeated North Dakota’s longtime attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He handily won his first term in the strong Republican state, which has about 784,000 residents.

He was easily reelected in 2020.

Burgum has taken a business-oriented bent as governor of North Dakota, where agriculture and oil are the main industries. He’s pushed income tax cuts, reduced regulations, and changes to animal agriculture laws and higher education governance. Burgum also emphasized a “data-driven” approach to governing, advocated for a Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in the state and prioritized engagement with tribal nations.

Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, have been public about her recovery from addiction, and as governor he has prioritized resources for addiction treatment.

Burgum is known as a policy wonk who works long hours and is highly inquisitive.

He has largely resisted wading into social issues, such as anti-LGBTQ measures pushed by members of his own party, vetoing a few such bills in 2021 and 2023. But also in 2023, as he was planning a run for president, he signed a pile of bills opponents said targeted transgender people. They included a ban on gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender kids, sports bans for transgender athletes, and transgender restrictions in schools.

When he entered office in December 2016, he dealt with the final months of the sometimes-chaotic protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. He’s led the state through terrible droughts and crippling storms.

He was the face of North Dakota’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, holding dozens of press conferences, many of them daily in early 2020, including an emotional plea about face masks. He and his wife publicly received their COVID vaccinations in 2021.

Last year, amid his presidential campaign, Burgum called a special session for the Legislature to deal with a budget mess weeks after the state Supreme Court voided a crucial bill, putting some state funding in jeopardy.