Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued a subpoena to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for documents regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s establishment of a migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), a National Park Service site in New York City (NYC). Westerman issued the following statement in response: 

"Using national parks to house migrants and cover up Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' border crisis is an egregious misuse of our national treasures. This sets a concerning precedent for the future of our public lands. This committee has conducted months of oversight on the shady backroom deals that resulted in a ramshackle, crime-ridden encampment built in a national park. Still, Democrat bureaucrats have repeatedly blocked congressional inquiries. At best, they sent heavily redacted documents that provided no useful information. At worst, they failed to even acknowledge congressional requests. I refuse to play their games. Today, I'm using the committee’s full authority to get to the bottom of this disastrous decision and hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for desecrating America's most treasured public landscapes."

Background

After signing a lease with NYC in August 2023, the Biden-Harris administration established a migrant encampment at FBF, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans have repeatedly called attention to this abuse of power and the ways the Biden-Harris administration is denying public access to our federal lands. 

The committee is conducting an ongoing investigation into the FBF lease, which involves requests for document productions, briefings and transcribed interviews from several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, DHS, the Council on Environmental Quality and White House officials.  

Despite repeated requests, DHS has continued to obstruct and delay the committee's investigation. Westerman is now issuing a congressional subpoena under his authority as chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources to obtain critical documents related to the initial lease agreement.