Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, urging them to carefully reassess a vaccine mandate for firefighters that will inhibit effective forest management and… Read more »

Today, President Joe Biden announced he will be unilaterally expanding the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. "In a pattern that's becoming all-too-familiar, the Biden Administration is once again making a major decision with no congressional input, no prior notice, and no basis in fact. These monuments are far more… Read more »

Today, President Joe Biden is visiting sites in Idaho and California to survey wildfire damage and learn more about forest management practices in the region. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response: "It's ironic that just days after committee Democrats unanimously voted to keep meaningful forestry provisions… Read more »

Washington - Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources continued marking up the Natural Resources title of the House's Fiscal Year 2022 budget reconciliation legislation. While committee Republicans were still offering amendments to the legislation, Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) ended debate through an amendment in nature of a substitute (ANS). Ranking Member Bruce Westerman… Read more »

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources began marking up the Natural Resources title of the House's Fiscal Year 2022 budget reconciliation legislation. Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement: "This reconciliation package is a bad bill with bad timing, plain and simple. During a time when Congress should be united and addressing the… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led the committee's Republican leadership in a letter urging Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to postpone the upcoming full committee markup in light of the urgent crises facing Americans. In part, the members wrote: "We have grave concerns about the extremely partisan budget reconciliation package… Read more »

WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) concluded a field tour of the Intermountain West, highlighting critical issues including oil and natural gas production, forest management, wildlife habitat conservation and more. During the tour, Westerman visited several committee members' districts, including U.S. Reps. Blake Moore… Read more »

Last week, 70 members introduced the bipartisan Resilient Federal Forests Act with the backing of 90 organizations. "Catastrophic wildfires release millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, damage fragile ecosystems, and threaten the lives and livelihoods of Americans. Implementing active forest management practices is the best way to increase the resilience of America's… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a congressional delegation to McAllen, Texas to survey the impacts illegal immigration and the Biden border crisis have on sensitive wildlife habitats and federal lands along the border. U.S. Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) joined Westerman on… Read more »

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) introduced the Resilient Federal Forests Act, a bipartisan bill to address the environmental and economic threats of catastrophic wildfires. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and… Read more »