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WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that nearly one-third of employees at his department are not loyal to him and President Donald Trump, adding that he is working to change the department's regulatory culture to be more business friendly.

Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, said he knew when he took over the 70,000-employee department in March that, "I got 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag."

In a speech to an oil industry group, Zinke compared Interior to a pirate ship that captures "a prized ship at sea and only the captain and the first mate row over" to finish the mission.

"We do have good people" at Interior, he said, "but the direction has to be clear and you've got to hold people accountable."

Zinke's comments echo complaints by some White House allies that a permanent, "deep state" in Washington has sabotaged Trump's efforts to remake the government.

Zinke did not go that far, but he lamented a government culture that prizes analysis over action, saying: "There's too many ways in the present process for someone who doesn't want to get (a regulatory action) done to put it a holding pattern."