Another Bad Week for Secretary of Censorship Doug Burgum
Memorandum: Another Bad Week for Secretary of Censorship Doug Burgum
To: Interested Parties
From: Save Our Parks
Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
Contact: Jayson O’Neill, Save Our Parks Spokesperson
Designated Secretary of Censorship Doug Burgum had another bad week as more of his lawless actions were challenged in court, and new polling shows his actions undermining America’s parks and public lands will have major electoral consequences this November.
Burgum’s week began with another federal lawsuit that challenged his illegal mass censorship and erasing of American history at our national parks and public lands. A broad coalition of historical and scientific groups filed suit against Burgum for censoring the truth by removing exhibits about climate change, slavery, Black history, Indigenous history, and LGBTQ+ history under Donald Trump’s Orwellian executive order. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania even compared Burgum’s actions to the Ministry of Truth from 1984, a comparison that surely hit uncomfortably close to home for Burgum, who seems to have left his values and any common sense back home, according to his former constituents in North Dakota.
Meanwhile, congressional members are sounding the alarm over Burgum’s mismanaged wildfire reorganization scheme, warning his new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, launched without congressional approval or funding amid mass Interior layoffs, could have life-or-death consequences as fire season quickly approaches. Between historically low snowpacks and warm temperatures combined with a drop off of fire mitigation under Burgum and Secretary Rollins, a powder keg of wildfire risk is building across the west.
This week’s lowlights for Burgum also include Trump’s National Park Service director nominee getting busted for major conflicts of interest and new polling from Colorado College that shows Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Burgum’s draconian budget cuts. Voters’ angst over public lands is a major problem for any senator thinking of supporting “Selloff Steve” Pearce, whose Senate confirmation hearing to be director of the Bureau of Land Management is set for next Wednesday.
As we bring the week to a close, Save Our Parks has the rundown of another bad week for Burgum:
Politico, February 17, 2026 – New lawsuit challenges Trump order to remove ‘corrosive ideology’ from national parks
Inforum, February 17, 2026 – For Trump, Burgum forgets the history he fought to preserve in North Dakota
Inforum, February 17, 2026 – Letter: I once thought Doug Burgum was a smart guy
Missoula Current, February 18, 2026 – Trump administration accused of ‘erasing history’ from national parks
Investigative Post, February 18, 2026 – Trump’s National Park nominee has conflict of interest
Government Executive, February 18, 2026 – Democrats sound alarm on Interior reorg's impact on wildfires, land management
E&E News, February 18, 2026 – Voters fret over federal land budget cuts, legal rollbacks, poll finds
ekathimerini.com, February 18, 2026 – Doug Burgum hails Chevron gas deal off southern Greece
E&E News, February 18, 2026 – Feds empower W.Va. to oversee coal mining on federal land
Politico, February 19, 2026 – Federal judge orders Trump admin to restore slavery exhibit by Friday
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