Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Interior reassigns about 30 senior career staff to jobs outside their expertise and gives them 2 weeks to accept or resign
Secretary Doug Burgum’s department moved executives from the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management; Interior called reassignment a routine tool.
What happened
In August 2026, the Interior Department under Secretary Doug Burgum reassigned around 30 of its most senior career executives and gave them 2 weeks to accept the new post or resign. NOTUS reported it on August 25, citing a dozen current and former employees. The new posts were largely outside their expertise.
The executives came from the Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, headquarters and smaller offices. E&E News reported on August 19 that USGS chief scientist David Applegate, the survey’s director under Biden, was moved to headquarters with the same choice. The Hill counted at least 25 moves on August 21.
Interior declined to discuss individuals and called reassignment a routine tool. NOTUS later reported that staff fear a broader reorganization. The department did not say why executives from the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management were moved to posts outside their expertise.
Who benefited
Secretary Burgum gains an Interior leadership roster that has been reshuffled or has resigned, with no firings on the record. The executives reassigned were among the department’s most senior career staff. Each one who resigns leaves a post the department can fill.
Who wanted something
Interior did not say what it wanted, calling reassignment a routine tool. The record identifies the targets, senior career executives across the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management. It also identifies the method: a 2-week choice between a post outside their expertise and resignation.
Who lost out
About 30 senior career executives, including USGS chief scientist David Applegate, had to take a post outside their field or leave. Each had 2 weeks to decide. The agencies lose experienced scientists and managers if they resign. Staff told NOTUS they fear a broader reorganization.
Why it matters
Career executives can be moved out of their field and given 2 weeks to accept or leave, without being fired. The method carries no formal removal and no stated cause. Interior says it is routine; NOTUS later reported that staff expect more.