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Oversight and Investigations

FLASHBACK: DC Memorials Open During Last Shutdown under Clinton

| Posted in Press Release

This week the Obama Administration began erecting steel barricades to keep veterans, families and visitors out of popular open-air monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial. Despite the fact that these are open-air sites that are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and are only staffed by Park Rangers during certain hours of the day, the Obama…

Hastings on Helium Hypocrisy: Senate Should Act Today to Open our National Parks

| Posted in Floor Statements

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following statement (as prepared for delivery) on the House floor calling on the Senate to act on common sense legislation to keep our National Parks open. “Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House passed and sent to the Senate a bipartisan bill to keep our National Parks open. Twenty-three Democrats joined with…

Obama Administration Closed Parks to WWII Veterans, but kept Open for Illegal Occupy Movement Camp

| Posted in Hot Air Alert

In an attempt to make the government shutdown as painful as possible, the Obama Administration yesterday chose to erect metal barricades around the World War II Memorial (an open air memorial that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and stationed armed National Park Police to block World War II veterans from entering their memorial. It’s ironic that while our Nation’s heroes are met…

Hastings, Bishop Challenge Obama Administration Over Unnecessary and Arbitrary Closures of Open-air Parks and Monuments

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) and Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01) today sent a letter to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis regarding the Obama Administration’s actions to restrict public access to the World War II Memorial and other open-air monuments, memorials and parks in Washington,…

Obama Administration Arbitrarily Choosing Which D.C. Monuments and Parks to Close Off to Veterans and Tourists

| Posted in Hot Air Alert

Yesterday, the Obama Administration began selectively erecting barricades to keep visitors, including large groups of World War II veterans, from visiting popular monuments such as the World War II Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the National Mall. However, the Obama Administration is applying this policy inconsistently and choosing which memorials to block off and which to…

Chairmen Hastings and Bishop Letter to Director Jarvis Regarding the Decision to Unnecessarily and Arbitrarily Close Open-air Parks and Monuments

| Posted in Letters

Dear Director Jarvis: Through this letter, the Committee on Natural Resources ("Committee") requests that the National Park Service ("Park Service") take steps as necessary to keep and not destroy documents related to the decision this week to restrict public access to the National World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,…

Chairman Hastings’ Statement on Resolution to Fund National Parks

| Posted in Press Release

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings delivered the following statement (as prepared) on the House floor today in support of H.J.Res. __, Open Our National Parks and Museums Act: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to fund National Parks. No one wanted a government shut down and one of the unfortunate consequences is that millions of…

Chairman Hastings: Increasing Domestic Production of Copper is Vital to Jobs, Economy & National Security

| Posted in Floor Statements

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings delivered the following statement on the House floor today in support of H.R. 687, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act: “Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 687, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act. As our Nation continues to suffer from high unemployment, a…