Thursday, 02/03/2017 17:01 (GMT+7)
The United States Senate has confirmed Rep. Ryan Zinke as Interior Secretary by a 68 to 31 vote.
Mr. Ryan Zinke (Source: Reuters)
Seventeen Democrats in the Senate joined Republicans in voting to approve him.
Mr. Zinke who describes himself as a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican," will oversee the department responsible for the management of federal lands and natural resources. He has defended expanding oil, gas and coal production, and has also warned that landowners in Western states are voicing concern over encroaching federal control.
The Republican politician, born in 1961, hails from Montana and is a former Navy SEAL commander, the first to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Mr. Zinke has been a member of Congress since 2014./.
Compiled by BTA