On May 20, 2025, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum told a House committee that the U.S. has “plenty of time” to address the climate crisis and that the Trump administration is focused on other threats, such as Iran’s nuclear program and artificial intelligence (AI). According to Burgum, "If we solve those two things, then we will have plenty of time to solve any issues related to potential temperature change.”
The comments were made during a House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing on President Trump’s proposed budget, which would slash funding for environmental programs, research grants, renewable energy tax credits, and infrastructure investments. Chellie Marie Pingree, the ranking member of the House appropriations committee, told Burgum that his testimony “disregards the climate change concerns that we have.”