Over two days, five members of the Trump cabinet addressed a range of issues, emphasizing the need for “energy dominance,” embracing artificial intelligence, removing federal regulatory barriers and empowering states to regain more control over their affairs.

Featured speakers from the White House cabinet included U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Here are the issues covered at the 2025 Western Governors Association’ conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico this week. 

Energy

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum emphasized the need for a diverse energy mix and the potential of western states to lead in clean energy production.

On Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis told Colorado Politics that the West can be a leader in energy production, mainly due to numerous options available in the region. Between the sunshine, geothermal power and renewable energy, Polis said Colorado and other western states are ready to lead national efforts.

As the two-day conference wound down, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she has no doubt Western states will, indeed, lead the way.

“The West is powering many states,” she said. “It is going to be the West that powers all of the East Coast states. And being an energy state is complicated, given New Mexico is very environmentally aware.”

Burgum agreed that Western states are already making significant strides in clean energy production, bringing resources that are highly significant in oil, gas and minerals.

“They are bringing leadership and sovereignty that strengthens us all,” he said. “And their voices are integral to the shared future, and their partnership is essential to meeting the challenges ahead.”

Burgum said the responsibility of achieving “energy dominance” falls on America. For those worried about the environment, he stressed that Americans can do it “cleaner, smarter, and safer.”

“When we have low-cost energy, people get healthier, communities get safer, education gets stronger,” he said. “There’s a direct correlation: If you want all the things that we are pursuing, then you need to have low-cost, affordable, and reliable energy. It’s the lifeblood of every other industry because it’s a component.”

The EPA’s Zeldin said Trump has made it a priority for America to achieve energy dominance, which has led to the creation of the National Energy Dominance Council, prompting cabinet members to collaborate on achieving similar goals.

The need to reach energy dominance directly involves advancements in artificial intelligence, Burgum said. He stressed that, as AI advances, more energy is needed.

Artificial intelligence

“Artificial Intelligence is coming faster and more significantly,” Burgum said. “It is going to change every job, every company and every industry. It would be impossible for me to overhype this in any possible way. I encourage everybody to try to increase your AI IQ.”

Experts have said AI is poised to play a significant role in the world across all aspects, including the resolution of chronic diseases, the reduction of rural healthcare costs, the acceleration of drug trials, and the provision of advanced educational opportunities to address resource shortages.

In the workforce, Burgum said, where there is a programmer shortage, AI will fill the gaps and create higher-level jobs for humans in industry.

“We’re at this tipping point, where we now have the ability to actually solve all of our problems and stop living in a world where everything is a trade-off,” he said. “We can only do that if we have enough energy.”

Rollins McMahon and Lori Chavez-DeRemer also mentioned AI, noting that it will affect all of their agencies from workforce development to education.

McMahon said America needs to start implementing AI in schools, while noting that China starts teaching students the subject in fourth grade.

Expanding state control

The White House cabinet members all shared a similar message: they want to eliminate federal regulations that impede states’ abilities to get things done.

When Lujan Grisham said states should be given more control in how they implement energy production and standards, Burgum agreed.

The U.S. is built around states “creating the federal government and not the other way around,” Burgum said.

“There are certain limited responsibilities that belong with the feds,” he said. “And there are a lot of great things that governors can do if we could just give you the tools to do it and get out of your way.”

Rollins, the agriculture chief, said states are “the laboratories of democracy, and it is there and, in those places, where real innovation can real work get done for the American people.”

McMahon said instead of spending billions on the U.S. Department of Education only to see no real improvement in student learning, the Trump administration would rather decrease federal oversight and give more power to states to set educational standards.

When it comes to developing the U.S. workforce and fixing the economy, labor czar Chavez-DeRemer said she is traveling across the nation to discuss with governors what they need to improve their states.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox asked about the immigrant workforce, noting that states agree that illegal immigration should get under control. Still, the red tape around getting immigrants to work in farms and hotels needs to be fixed, he said. Chavez-DeRemer agreed, noting that it’s precisely the kind of red tape that members of the Trump administration cabinet are working to address.

On Tuesday, Polis told Colorado Politics that he liked what he heard, stressing that only time would tell if the cabinet heads follow through.

Polis said during the two-day conference he came to understand how much Western states have in common, from wildfire management to housing development and energy production.