On his first official day as Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke rode a horse to work from the National Mall stables to the Interior Department while wearing a cowboy hat and greeting the 350 federal employees of the department.
The gesture was meant to mark not just Zinke’s first day, but also the anniversary of the Interior Department, which is responsible for the management of federal lands and natural resources, NBC News reported. As part of the ceremony, a Bureau of Indian Affairs worker from Montana also played a drum.
The Senate voted 68-31 on Wednesday to confirm Zinke, a Montana native who had served in the House of Representatives previously. Zinke is a former Navy SEAL and had promised to “get to work” immediately.
Zinke is the first person from Montana to serve on a presidential cabinet.
It wasn’t clear whether the grand entrance disrupted traffic on the busy D.C. streets, but it did make some nice pictures for Twitter.
BSEE is pleased to welcome the new Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. “Lets get to work!” pic.twitter.com/520TMPxslr
— BSEE (@BSEEgov) March 2, 2017
