Today, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held a legislative hearing on six bills focused on various solutions related to Indian Country health care, land ownership and hunting and fishing rights. Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) released the following statement in response: "Today’s hearing covered a wide range of topics and geographical areas, but one common theme runs thr... Read More »
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) announced the formation of a bipartisan task force that will conduct oversight on issues facing the U.S. territories and Freely Associated States (FAS) in the Indo-Pacific region. "There is perhaps no greater threat to America’s national security and future prosperity than th... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to examine the ongoing cybersecurity threats facing the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the nexus to state-sponsored cyber actors, like the People's Republic of China. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) released the following statement in response: "Federal agencies, including the Department of Interior, must ensur... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on the impacts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) proposed changes to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) released the following statement in response: “Unfortunately, NOAA is promulgating policies that do very little fo... Read More »
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland, conducting oversight into her potential conflicts and compliance with ethics obligations. Given DOI's announcement late last week regarding the mineral withdrawal surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, these issues are particula... Read More »
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will hold a press conference announcing the formation of a new bipartisan task force to combat the People's Republic of China's rising influence in the Indo-Pacific region. U.S. Reps. Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa) and Gregorio Sablan (D-Northern Mari... Read More »
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement ahead of the 2023 wildfire year and in response to President Joe Biden’s recent meetings on wildfire preparedness: "Federal forests, particularly in the western U.S., make up the vast majority of the 80 million acres at high risk for wildfire and are in desperate need of large scale compreh... Read More »
Today, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a 20-year energy and mineral withdrawal within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park "Clearly history is repeating itself as the Biden administration continues disregarding local communities and American interests in reckless pursuit of virtue signaling. Secretary Haaland herself testified under oath ea... Read More »
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included much of U.S. Rep. Garret Graves' (R-La.) Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response: "On top of cutting spending, clawing back Covid funds and sev... Read More »
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement about the permitting reform provisions included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act: "Burdensome regulations smother all sectors of the American economy while ultimately doing more harm to the environment than good. While science and technology advances make energy, mining and infrastructure d... Read More »
Last week, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a series of three letters to House Committee on Appropriations leadership requesting a reduction in Fiscal Year 2024 funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation. Westerman released the following statement in response: "Biden adm... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing on the president's Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) issued the following statement in response: "There are finite federal resources and agencies must be held accountable for their spending and... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to examine the Biden administration's ongoing efforts to limit access to federal lands and ignore the interests of local communities. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) released the following statement in response: "Congress, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., has authority over lands and territories in the ... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on the president's Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget request for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs). Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) released the following st... Read More »
Today, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on nine bills focused on forest management, wildland firefighter reforms and fire suppression policies. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) issued the following statement in response: “If we want to truly confront the wildfire crisis, Congress needs to speed up the permitting bureaucracy that’s been slowing down forest mana... Read More »