The confirmation of Montana at large Congressman Ryan Zinke has been delayed yet again as he prepares to take his seat as Secretary of the Interior. This has led to quite a bit of confusion in his home state as contenders jockey for position in hopes of replacing him. (Billings Gazette)

There’s been no movement on the confirmation of the Rep. Ryan Zinke as next U.S. secretary of the Interior, but the list of would-be replacements for Montana’s lone U.S. House seat keeps shifting.

The U.S. Senate will leave for a weeklong break with Zinke on the schedule for confirmation but not ready for a floor vote. The Whitefish Republican is likely to see confirmation on the first two days of March.

I get the fact the Democrats are currently drowning in hysterics over anything to do with President Donald Trump and champing at the bit for any opportunity to thwart him on even the most trivial of issues. But can someone explain to me precisely what the problem is with putting Zinke in at interior? The guy is both an avid sportsman and conservationist. He doesn’t carry a reputation as being a total brick wall when it comes to the idea of reasonable government regulations, but he also doesn’t want to see the nation’s hunters, fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts overly burdened by Uncle Sam. He recently received a ringing endorsement from the NRA for precisely these reasons. (Roll Call)

The five million men and women of the National Rifle Association are eager to see Rep. Ryan Zinke confirmed as the 52nd secretary of the Interior. His confirmation will mark the end of an era of hostility toward hunters and sportsmen at the Interior Department.

As a native Montanan, Zinke has a deep appreciation for wildlife and conservation. In addition, he understands the importance of public land access for all hunters and outdoorsmen.

The fact is that hunters are America’s true conservationists. We know that sound wildlife management is critical in the protection of our natural resources. As a sportsman, Ryan Zinke holds this view. All Americans can trust Rep. Zinke to manage our lands and wildlife through sound science, not emotion or political agendas.

Liberals who are fighting the Zinke nomination have been spending far too much time listening to environmental extremists. Attempting to make some sort of claim that Zinke is “anti-environment” (whatever that means) are nonsense. Expressing support for hunters and fishermen is precisely the opposite of what’s being implied here. Outdoor enthusiasts are, in reality, the most avid environmentalists in the country. They have worked and vigorously endorsed conservation programs to protect wildlife, keep hunting areas open but healthy for game animals and protect pristine fishing waters for generations.

Ryan Zinke is a person cut from that same cloth. The idea that he is preparing to move into his new office and take a bulldozer to the American wilderness is complete hyperbole and not worthy of discussion. If the Democrats summon up anything north of 40 votes opposing his nomination we will have proof yet again that they are simply the new Party of No. And as I said previously, they are laying out the welcome mat for Republicans to do precisely the same thing to the nominees of any future Democratic president without concern for valid objections or background investigations.