Foreign-Funded Green Groups Attack Trump’s Interior Nominee—Here’s Why

December 6, 2024

In an effort to tank President-elect Donald Trump’s energy dominance efforts before they have begun, foreign-funded green groups are leading the charge against his nominee for Interior Secretary and energy czar, Governor Doug Burgum, according to a new Washington Free Beacon report. At the helm of this opposition is Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, whose vast network of nonprofits is pushing to keep America from becoming energy dominant.

Groups like Climate Power, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Wilderness Society—all funded by Wyss—have been vocal in their opposition to Burgum. They’ve labeled him a “climate skeptic” and accused him of enriching oil executives, all while vowing to fight against increased fossil fuel development on public lands. But why are these foreign-funded groups so intent on stopping Trump’s energy agenda?

The answer is simple: foreign nations don’t want America to succeed by becoming energy dominant. They fear the economic and geopolitical advantages that American energy independence would bring. Wyss’s network is a prime example of this foreign interference, using its vast resources to push far-left climate policies and block fossil fuel development in the U.S. in an unregulated political effort.

The Department of the Interior’s Critical Role

The Department of the Interior manages hundreds of millions of acres of federal lands and waters, with the authority to lease oil-rich or mineral-rich public property to private developers. Under Trump’s “Energy Dominance” agenda, these lands and waters could be opened up for drilling, reversing the Biden administration’s restrictive policies. This would be a game-changer for American energy workers and the whole of the nation’s economic prosperity.

Wyss’s Network: A Web of Foreign Influence

Hansjörg Wyss has been pouring money into left-wing environmental and social causes for over two decades. His Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund have funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to groups opposing Burgum’s nomination and Trump’s energy agenda. This is a highly professionalized and well-funded political activist network organizing against American energy workers. These groups advocate for fossil fuel shutdowns, green energy development, and the lock-up of government-managed land—all policies that would do more to make America dependent on foreign oil than spur a fictitious renewable renaissance.

Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at the Capital Research Center, warns:

“Any organization connected to or funded by Hansjörg Wyss should be treated with disdain and distrust in Washington, D.C. Wyss has refused to obtain American citizenship while sticking his nose, and checkbook, into American political affairs for years.”

A Fight for America’s Energy Future

The visceral reaction to Burgum’s nomination from Wyss’s network signals a looming battle over Trump’s energy agenda, and, for Senators considering Burgum’s nomination, a sign that if Wyss and his radical allies oppose him, then they should be for him. These foreign-funded groups will stop at nothing to prevent America from achieving energy dominance. 

The incoming Trump administration and the 119^th Congress must remain clear-eyed about the foreign astroturfing operation that is set to take place to oppose sensible policies which would benefit all Americans. Power The Future will continue to work to expose these shady practices and serve as an honest broker for energy workers.