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Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum testified before the committee in his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Jan 16.

Many Republicans on Capitol Hill do not agree with President Donald Trump's decision to pardon and commute sentences for more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the

If confirmed, Burgum would become the chief steward of federal lands. The Interior Department oversees areas that produce about one-quarter of U.S. oil annually.

Treasury Secretary pick Scott Bessent, Lee Zeldin, the president-elect's choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum who'll run the Interior Department took questions on Capitol Hill as they look to secure their spots in the incoming administration.

Kristi Noem, South Dakota's firebrand Republican governor, faced questioning Friday at her confirmation hearing to be secretary of homeland security. Noem, the daughter of a farmer and a former representative from South Dakota, is being questioned before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum faced a Senate committee Thursday that questioned related to his nomination as Secretary of the Interior including on issues affecting tribes

The Senate is holding more confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks ahead of his return to office on Monday.

Janet Alkire, chairwoman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, urged North Dakota lawmakers to join forces with tribal nations during Tuesday's state Legislature’s opening address. Delivering remarks at the Capitol in Bismarck she said, “Our collective work can create lasting change and brighter futures for the next generation.”

Some Congressional Republicans expressed dismay over President Donald Trump's pardons, which included people convicted of assaulting police during the Capitol riot.

Even Republicans who once said violent rioters should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law declined to criticize the presidential clemency for violent offenders, saying it was time to move on.

In the background is the monument to the soldiers erected in 1909 at Whitestone Hill State Historic Site. The stone monument to the left was added in the 1940s as a tribute to the Native Americans. The interpretive panel on the right is one of 15 panels interpreting the conflict that occurred on the site on Sept.