Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Breitbart News Daily that the Trump administration is working to limit the impact of the ongoing Democrat-led shutdown on the American people, in contrast to the Obama administration’s strategy during past shutdowns.
Burgum accused former President Barack Obama of deliberately making government closures as painful as possible for ordinary Americans. He pointed to the 2013 shutdown, when the Obama administration spent federal funds to erect barricades around open-air monuments in Washington, D.C., including the World War II Memorial.
“They actually paid, using government money, to erect a fence around the World War II Memorial in D.C.,” Burgum recalled. “It’s just an open space with fountains. You could walk through there, and folks like my dad, who fought in World War II, these honor flights come in from around the country. Yet veterans couldn’t even walk through or come in a wheelchair to see the memorial.”
Burgum called the move “nothing short of diabolical,” arguing it was designed to create unnecessary pain. He emphasized that the Trump administration is taking the opposite approach during the current shutdown, ensuring that services remain available where possible and avoiding punitive measures.
“So spending government money to try to inflict pain on veterans—but none of that’s happening here with, you know, President Trump,” Burgum said. He urged Americans to pressure Democrat senators to end the shutdown, stressing that Republicans already passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
The comments come as Democrats continue to block Republican spending measures, prolonging the shutdown. Burgum framed the administration’s response as one rooted in common sense and respect for citizens, contrasting it with what he described as Obama’s heavy-handed tactics.
