Senate Republicans Congratulate Arizona's Own Dr. Theodore Cooke on Nomination to Commissioner of Reclamation Under the Trump Administration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                 

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Senate Republicans Congratulate Arizona's Own Dr. Theodore Cooke on

Nomination to Commissioner of Reclamation Under the Trump Administration

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Senate Republicans are congratulating Arizona's own Dr. Theodore Cooke on his nomination as Commissioner of Reclamation for the Department of Interior under the Trump Administration.

In 2022, Senate Republicans appointed Dr. Cooke to serve as a Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) Board Member for the State of Arizona. Prior to this role, he retired from a more than two decades long career with the Central Arizona Project.

"Not only does Arizona provide national benefits from our economy, but we also have a pool of talent in water management professionals," said President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee. "Dr. Cooke is thoughtful, has a history of collaboration, thinks outside the box to formulate solutions, and has a track record of finding a consensus among all parties at the table. This is why he was appointed by the Arizona Senate to serve on WIFA. Dr. Cooke is exactly who the Department of Interior needs and will be more aggressive in facilitating an agreement among the seven Colorado River Basin States on water allocations, as he did with negotiating Arizona's entrance into the Drought Contingency Plan."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov