Trump To Withdraw Polarizing Nominee To Lead Bureau Of Land Management

Amid pressure from Democrats and some Republicans, the Trump administration is planning to withdraw its controversial nominee to head the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The sprawling public lands agency, which manages roughly a tenth of the landmass of the United States, has not had a permanent, Senate-confirmed director for the entire Trump era.

The nominee, William Perry Pendley, has been leading the agency since last August through a series of controversial continued appointment extensions. Prior to coming to Washington D.C., the Wyoming native had spent much of his career at the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation challenging the very agency he now leads.

President Trump formally nominated Pendley to lead the bureau in June, though it has never been clear whether even the current Republican-controlled Senate would confirm him. An administration official confirmed to NPR that his nomination was being withdrawn.