Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Republican Rob Bishop (R-Utah) released the following statement on the Senate’s upcoming procedural vote related to the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422). 

“The Great American Outdoors Act is a perfect example of Washington playing political games. They take a bipartisan and popular idea to fix our parks and spur job creation (H.R. 1225) and combine it with a divisive measure that will increase our debt and has nothing to do with economic recovery (S. 1081). The Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act is a short-term investment that would begin tackling our federal lands maintenance backlog so that more Americans can access quality recreation experiences at these treasured areas. This package (S. 3422), however, usurps any congressional oversight of a program that would spend at least 900 million in taxpayer funds in perpetuity while stripping cash-strapped communities across the country of critical property tax revenues. At a time when America is putting a record amount of debt on the backs of future generations to cope with COVID-19, now is not the time for reckless spending or new mandatory programs that have nothing to do with the pandemic or stimulating growth. Congress is pulling the wool over taxpayers’ eyes with S. 3422, and any responsible member of the Senate would vote to oppose it.”