Jared Huffman
Representative for California · Democratic · United States
“To date, there has been no public disclosure of safeguards or procedures to ensure that these ownership stakes do not influence permitting, regulatory enforcement, contracting, and other agency decisions relating to these mining and minerals projects.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Under this bill, the Permitting Council would be required to devote precious time and resources to expedite these projects, to the detriment of real critical minerals projects, and it may prevent a future administration from ever narrowing the scope. How does that make America more secure? The answer is it doesn't.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is our third day back from a 5-week recess. We have 15 days left here in Washington before the election.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“That is the other half of the bill, the part that would potentially tie the hands of this and future administrations from using FAST-41 in a smart and targeted way that would focus on actual critical minerals projects that were in our national interest, that were all about our national competitiveness. I will explain.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“This does nothing to help lower prices for Americans. It just gives gold mines or even mines owned by our foreign adversaries the same access to FAST-41 streamlining as minerals projects needed for our national or economic security interests.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we agree with the gentleman from Utah that we need to be taking seriously our dependence on foreign adversaries when it comes to critical minerals and processing.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
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“Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“It is about giving one more of the President's favorite industries carte blanche for special treatment. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. {time} 1430”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“This does nothing to help lower prices for Americans. It just gives gold mines or even mines owned by our foreign adversaries the same access to FAST-41 streamlining as minerals projects needed for our national or economic security interests. This ties up limited staff and resources meant to get nationally important projects built faster. It gives this corrupt administration another tool to abuse, to help their buddies get ahead. Let's be clear, even though the Permitting Council is supposed to work with any eligible project that is put forward by a sponsor, we know that that won't stop this administration from pushing to prioritize their favorite projects, which seems to be determined more and more by the President's profits than by the public interest.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“To date, there has been no public disclosure of safeguards or procedures to ensure that these ownership stakes do not influence permitting, regulatory enforcement, contracting, and other agency decisions relating to these mining and minerals projects. Before we give this administration yet additional power to enrich themselves at the expense of everyday Americans, let's get some answers to some of these questions we have been asking about all this corruption and self-dealing. We have been talking about whether the administration should prioritize when it comes to doling out the limited capacity of the FAST-41 Permitting Council. If everything is a priority, nothing is. H.R. 1501 ties this and any future administration's hands from doing any prioritization to make sure that FAST-41 permitting is limited to critical minerals projects.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this administration has demonstrated that it is all too willing to abuse the tools at its disposal to promote projects that simply line the pockets of members of this administration, their family, and their oligarch pals. I will give you a few examples. Not too long ago, the Trump administration announced that it would invest over a billion dollars and take an equity stake in USA Rare Earth, a mining and manufacturing company. Reporting uncovered that USA Rare Earth hired Cantor Fitzgerald, a firm chaired by Brandon Lutnick, the son of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. How about that coincidence?”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“If making sure that we are not dependent on adversaries like China was really important to us, I should certainly hear a lot of alarm from my friends across the aisle about the fact that President Trump is starting a trade war with Canada, our neighbor, one of our closest allies and a critical minerals trading partner that makes us less dependent on foreign adversaries. Instead we hear crickets. He is even trying to rename Lake Ontario to further antagonize this trading partner, and we hear nothing from the other side. This bill is about many things, but it is certainly not about reducing our dependence on minerals from foreign adversaries. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this argument that we need this legislation to address our dangerous dependency on foreign adversaries for critical minerals continues to ring very hollow. One of the ways that we can avoid being too dependent on foreign adversaries is to develop trading relationships with our allies, none closer to us than Canada. Canada, for example, is one of our largest mineral trading partners. They exported about $76 billion in minerals to the United States in 2025.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“The language we have proposed time and again comes from one of their own Republican colleagues, the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party chairman, Mr. Moolenaar. We have proposed his exact language time and again as a commonsense guardrail to make sure that our public resources and the benefits of this fast-tracking are not simply used to hand a gift to the very foreign adversary we say we are so terribly concerned about. It keeps getting rejected time and time again, which makes you wonder what this bill is really about. It is definitely not the competitive rivalry with China. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we agree with the gentleman from Utah that we need to be taking seriously our dependence on foreign adversaries when it comes to critical minerals and processing. That is why time and again my Democratic colleagues and I have offered amendments to make sure that when it comes to opening up our public lands--and, in this case, when it comes to opening up the benefits of this fast-tracked FAST-41 process--we are not handing it over to our foreign adversaries. We have proposed amendments time and again, and those amendments have been opposed by our Republican colleagues. We have yet to hear a good reason why they keep opposing this, nor is there one.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“It just makes no sense whatsoever. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle).”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“They get less attention. The Chair is actually making our point. We need to allow prioritization and focus so that this FAST-41 process can actually work as it was intended to work. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Grijalva).”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“We have the opportunity to build a mineral supply chain that is secure, resilient, and independent of our foreign adversaries. To achieve that, we should be making strategic investments, not handing out blanket favors. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Under this bill, the Permitting Council would be required to devote precious time and resources to expedite these projects, to the detriment of real critical minerals projects, and it may prevent a future administration from ever narrowing the scope. How does that make America more secure? The answer is it doesn't. Democrats have offered straightforward solutions. We have proposed targeted FAST-41 coverage for projects involving critical minerals, projects that actually strengthen key supply chains essential to our national security and our economic resilience. We also proposed preventing companies owned or controlled by our foreign adversaries from receiving this fast-track status. These amendments were rejected by Republicans in committee and blocked from consideration on the floor here today. This should not be a partisan issue.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“The Biden administration began considering a regulatory change to limit coverage to just critical minerals. That is what this bill is all about. H.R. 1501 would block that change from ever taking effect. That regulation was not finalized. It is not being implemented, but this bill would preemptively block anything like that from ever taking effect. Under this bill, a gold mine with no connection to our national security could receive FAST-41 treatment. The same would apply to a mine controlled by a foreign adversary or a mine that plans to ship its minerals straight to China for processing, with no benefit to the American supply chain.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“That is the other half of the bill, the part that would potentially tie the hands of this and future administrations from using FAST-41 in a smart and targeted way that would focus on actual critical minerals projects that were in our national interest, that were all about our national competitiveness. I will explain. The Permitting Council, which implements FAST-41, has limited resources. Its job is to provide additional coordination and attention to projects that meet the statutory requirements of FAST-41 coverage. Under this bill, every single mining project could be eligible for that treatment, regardless of whether it advances our national interests, our strategic mineral needs, et cetera. FAST-41 Permitting Council is required to put all eligible projects forward even though they have limited resources.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Speaker: We have just heard the main rationale for this bill, that we have to make sure critical minerals mining projects and the processing projects for those critical minerals are eligible for FAST-41. They made it sound as if today's bill would finally make that possible. Well, I have a news flash for everyone. Mining is already a covered sector under a regulation adopted during the first Trump administration. Mineral processing projects are also allowed on FAST-41 as manufacturing, so we have an advertised solution here to a problem that does not exist. {time} 1350 What is this bill all about?”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“We could all agree that we have been overreliant on adversaries for critical minerals for too long. As demand for these minerals grows, we should also want to strengthen our domestic and allied supply chains strategically with American security, sustainability, and human rights at the center of those efforts. Unfortunately, this administration seems to have a different approach. They are throwing billions of taxpayers' dollars at the projects that only seem to benefit themselves. There is a lot of money flying right now in the name of strengthening the mineral supply chain, but when you look beneath the surface, it is going to projects that will not actually help the American people.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is our third day back from a 5-week recess. We have 15 days left here in Washington before the election. It should be a time that we are trying to get some real work done, but instead of doing that, instead of doing a single thing to help our constituents who are struggling under skyrocketing costs of groceries, gas, and electricity bills, Republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with any bill that their chaotic Conference can find a way to pass, and one of the surest ways, it seems, is to find a way to do another favor for the President's friends and for foreign-owned mining conglomerates. We could actually use some responsible, balanced mineral policy in this country to meet our needs, but, of course, that is not what we are here to do today.”
House of Representatives2 September 2026Source ↗
“Our suggestions would have authorized additional Federal investments for on-demand ropeless fishing technology to ensure fishermen can keep working, while removing the deadly vertical lines that entangle, injure, and kill these endangered whales. True leadership invests in modernizing our fisheries, not freezing our conservation laws in place while marine life pays the ultimate price. Allowing a species to go extinct on our watch is a moral failure that we cannot erase. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this dangerous precedent, stand with science, and vote ``no'' on H.R. 9436. I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“I recognize that fishing communities around this country are facing extreme levels of uncertainty, and this administration is doing nothing to help. In the lobster fishery, families who have fished these waters for generations are asking questions about what comes next. H.R. 9436 presents a false choice between saving a native species and protecting their livelihoods. This delay would undermine massive public investment. Since 2022, Congress has devoted an estimated $280 million to right whale recovery. We are beginning to see results from these investments. Advancing monitoring technologies have improved mapping of right whale patterns. Vessels are using trackers to avoid conflicts and, most importantly for this debate, ropeless gear now has a near-perfect retrieval success record and a critical safety feature.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the data--31 deaths or serious injuries from entanglements since 2022--comes from NOAA. It is available to Democrats and Republicans alike. Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to reject H.R. 9436. This bill moves the goalposts and risks the extinction of an iconic whale that calls our Nation's Atlantic waters home. Instead of taking the next 2 years to address the progress that has been made and additional policy levers that may be necessary to support a thriving lobster fishery and recover the right whale, this bill legislates blindly. It throws away momentum amongst the States, tech companies, and many fishery participants, kicking the can down the road. This is a shame.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I am not sure why my friend from Maine just cited data from 2009 through 2018 to suggest there has been virtually no mortality. The numbers I gave are a little more relevant. From 2022 until now, we know that 31 North Atlantic right whales have either died or been seriously injured by the very type of entanglements we are talking about here--entanglements that would, if this legislation passes, somehow secure a total pass from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act regulations for a period of 13 full years. That is not honoring these environmental protection laws. That is not upholding them. That is gutting them. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“They have been telling the New England Fishery Management Council to deprioritize ropeless gear. This is not a process that is being taken seriously or that is going well and, therefore, needs more time. This is a stalling tactic that has already begun and is about to receive 7 more years by virtue of the Republican Congress. This administration has not provided Congress, by the way, with the annual reports on progress toward 2029. That is required in the law. They are ignoring it. They have 2 more years to do their job. States need to finalize that data collection. We don't need another 7-year extension. We especially don't need this to happen 2 years earlier. Let's allow this process to run its course and see what it produces. Then, if there is a compelling reason for a further extension, we could talk about it. Mr.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I was confused a moment ago because the chairman suggested that the effort to develop all this data and perfect ropeless gear is going really well. These investments are rolling out and this is all being taken very seriously, but here we have a bill that would shut all of that down 2 years early. This is about running out the clock, Mr. Speaker. We were told that the 6-year pause granted in 2022 was for all these same things, for data collection and to allow time for collaboration and open rulemaking process, and more. Congress invested $20 million in ropeless gear development, testing, and deployment. The States and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission ran programs for fishermen to test the gear, but under the Trump administration, NOAA has shut this down.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of the chairman and others here, the facts are these: Since 2022, 31 whales have died or been seriously injured by entanglements. Entanglements are a huge problem. It is not even in serious dispute. Eighty-five percent of living whales have been entangled at least once, and 60 percent at least twice. In terms of the alleged progress in the past year or so for this whale, they are not reproducing nearly fast enough to avoid an extinction trajectory. There are right now more Members of the House of Representatives than there are North Atlantic right whales living in our ocean. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Protecting endangered wildlife and fostering resilient coastal economies are not opposing goals. Pushing safety measures off to 2035 stalls the momentum behind collaborative ocean stewardship, science- based dynamic management, and crucial federal resources that help both whales and coastal communities thrive. Communities in New York and New Jersey have consistently supported forward-thinking, science-based approaches that safeguard our shared marine heritage while ensuring our coastal economies can adapt and flourish. Halting progress for another seven years undermines the work our region has done to promote a healthy ocean ecosystem. The North Atlantic right whale cannot afford to wait until 2035, and neither can the communities that care about the future of our oceans. We urge you to reject H.R.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from more than 30 community environmental and civic leaders in New York and New Jersey urging Congress to defend science-based management of the North Atlantic right whale and opposing this legislation. August 31, 2026. Dear Members of Congress: As community, environmental, and civic leaders based in New York and New Jersey, we write to express our strong opposition to H.R. 9436. This legislation would delay urgently needed protections for the North Atlantic right whale for seven years, freezing management progress until 2035. North Atlantic right whales are regularly seen in waters off of Long Island, New York and the Coast of New Jersey.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“Speaker, let's stop pretending that House Republicans and this administration care about the fishermen, coastal communities, or these iconic whales. If Congress can arbitrarily grant a decade-plus statutory exemption to bypass protections for a critically endangered species, then the Endangered Species Act is reduced to a hollow success. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to fight for strong, sustainable fisheries and to defend Federal wildlife protection laws, reject this dangerous precedent, and vote ``no'' on H.R. 9436. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“The solution already exists. On-demand ropeless gear reduces deadly entanglements of whales without sacrificing catch. We can have this fishing industry. We can protect it for the long haul with this win-win solution. Fishermen are actively testing and using ropeless gear right now. They have landed over 1 million pounds of seafood using these methods. This bill, though, would destroy the market incentives to deploy these safer and innovative technologies, damaging consumer confidence in the environmental sustainability of American seafood. It would unfairly place greater conservation burdens on the other Atlantic coast communities, from Florida to Maine, who are actively trying to do their part to save this whale from extinction. Mr.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“This pause was advertised as a stakeholders' window of opportunity to give NOAA time to partner with fishermen, States, and technology companies to gather data to test and deploy safer fishing gear, namely, ropeless gear. Instead, that pause becomes a license for complacency. NOAA is lying down on the job, dragging its feet, firing staff, axing science, and deprioritizing ropeless gear, perhaps because they think Congress will bail them out and kick the can a little further down the road. All of this is illegal, and all of it is causing massive uncertainty for the lobster fishery. Now, 2 years ahead of the deadline, this bill would add another 7- year delay. Instead of holding NOAA accountable, House Republicans want to freeze action until 2035, abandoning accountability and setting up our fishermen for failure.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“We may hear that kicking the can down the road saves the Maine lobster fleet. In reality, this bill would lock in a broken status quo that guarantees disaster for both our historic coastal industry and the critically endangered right whale. Right now, fewer than 380 North Atlantic right whales remain on Earth, with only 70 breeding females. Over 85 percent have experienced at least one fishing gear entanglement, and since 2022, at least 31 whales have suffered severe injuries or death because of entanglements. In late 2022, Congress inappropriately paused all additional measures to protect these whales from fishing gear entanglements until 2029.”
House of Representatives1 September 2026Source ↗
“The last thing we need is another golden monument commemorating President Trump in the Capital, let alone one that circumvents Congress and flouts the law. Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues should stand up to this administration's lawlessness. In the meantime, this is a good bill. This is how you are supposed to do monuments in compliance with the law. You bring it to Congress. You pass it through the process. Soon this bill will become law, and this monument will happen. That is the way it should work. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Monuments and memorials in the area of Washington, D.C., may be built ``only as specifically authorized by law.'' If that weren't enough, Congress enacted a similar law prohibiting any building or structure being built on Federal public grounds in D.C. without express authority of Congress. It is an insult to the American people that this administration is ignoring the law, that they are barreling ahead with an enormous arc de Trump in flagrant violation of these laws, an arch that would tower over the Lincoln Memorial and the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery where we honor the very heroes that we have just been talking about here today. Our constituents can't afford groceries right now due to Trump's trade wars. They can't afford gas due to his war of choice in Iran or electricity bills due to his war on clean energy.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Speaker, I encourage Republican leadership in both Houses of Congress to start working together and talking to each other to better coordinate so that we are not forced to vote on all of these noncontroversial bills over and over. There is simply not time left on the calendar to continue this. Moving back to the bill that we are considering, I encourage my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation again. This is an excellent example of the amazing work that we can do when we reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan way. But it is worth noting that this bill is also an example of how monuments in Washington, D.C., should happen and how they can be lawfully established through a transparent and explicit act of Congress. {time} 1650 The Commemorative Works Act is the law, and it is very clear.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“I do note, however, that this is not the first time legislation for this memorial has been considered by the House this Congress. We voted on the House companion from Mr. Moore of Utah back in January 2025. It was one of the first Natural Resources Committee bills to pass this Chamber in the Congress. Unfortunately, instead of passing the House bill that we already sent over, the Senate is forcing us into a do-over. This is becoming an unsightly trend this Congress. The House Natural Resources Committee alone has sent 88 bipartisan bills over to the Senate that are still waiting for a vote. No wonder this has been such an unproductive Congress and one of the least productive on record. Mr.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded to brave individuals whose extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice exceed the call of duty. In 2021, Congress authorized the placement of a National Medal of Honor Monument in Washington, D.C., to honor all of the Medal of Honor recipients from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. As a next step, this bill we are considering will ensure the memorial is located next to the Lincoln Memorial in the shadow of a President who created the Medal of Honor during the first year of the Civil War. It is a privilege to speak on this bill. Medal of Honor recipients deserve recognition in the heart of our Nation's Capital.”
House of Representatives31 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“We could advance comprehensive and thoughtful appropriations bills that invest in the future of our parks and our public lands. Instead of doing any of these productive and responsible actions, House Republicans decided to use some more precious floor time to overturn a narrow and specific rule at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. That is a disappointment, another missed opportunity, and a testament to the priorities of this Republican majority. Mr. Speaker, I again urge a ``no'' vote and yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“They did nothing as President Trump and Elon Musk decimated the land management workforce, shuttered critical buildings, and froze funding for critical grant programs designed to safeguard and restore our parks and our public lands. Just since January, the Park Service has lost 1,700 rangers and Park Service staff, leaving parks understaffed and resources vulnerable just before the busiest time of the year. There have to be better ways to celebrate and cherish our national parks than to dismantle them. We could be doing something to restore all the jobs that have been cut by this administration. We could debate proposals to create new parks or expand existing ones to honor our shared history and protect our most cherished landscapes.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“President Trump carried on the tradition by issuing a proclamation to officially designate the week--this is one of the few noncontroversial actions in the first 100 days of this administration--because all Americans love and value and support national parks. Unfortunately, the proclamation also highlighted how the administration is trying to use national parks to tell a myopic and narrow view of our history. This revisionist turn is exemplified by President Trump's decision to rename Mount Denali in Alaska despite overwhelming criticism and concern from Alaska Native leaders and other voices in the State. It is clear the President is more interested in branding and flashy stunts than actually supporting our national parks and public lands. House Republicans have stood by and watched as all of this happened.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“Now, since this information seems new to some of my colleagues, they may be thinking: Wait, that can't be right. Wouldn't this sort of thing have happened before? The answer is no, because Congress has never used the CRA to micromanage a park or a park-access rule this narrow in the way that is being proposed with this resolution. The entire scheme is untested, reckless, and ill-advised. If my colleagues accidentally ban off-roading in Glen Canyon, I hope they are ready to explain that to their constituents, assuming they ever hold townhall meetings again. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation. Last week was National Park Week, an annual tradition meant to honor our deep connection to national parks.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“Repealing that rule doesn't repeal those legal obligations, so whatever outdated rule the administration might try to revive will still have to comply with those laws, and a court is going to strike it down when it doesn't. Two, as we keep having to remind our colleagues, using the CRA to repeal a rule doesn't just remove that rule, it also prohibits the agency from ever issuing a substantially similar rule on this same topic. That means any rule regarding off-road access in this park unit. This repeal is practically inviting a court to strike down whatever fallback rule the administration tries reverting to, and when that litigation ensues and they comb through the Congressional Record to divine the intent of Congress, they will see pretty plainly that I warned you folks that that was the case right here on the record.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“That is how the CRA works. You burn the bridge; you can't go back on that particular subject area. A court in the future may well decide that the absence of a rule means no off-roading. Period. It is the kind of uncertainty that would be discussed and fleshed out if you took the time to have a hearing and have a little bit of deliberation instead of jamming a CRA like this, a blunt instrument, right on the House floor. If the intent is truly about preserving access, there are better ways to do it. There are certainly much better ways for Congress to uplift and support our national parks; for example, standing up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's gutting of the National Park Service. I wish we spent more time talking about that rather than a very reckless use of the Congressional Review Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“The decision to repeal this rule could lead to some unintended consequences that would backfire on the very off-road vehicle community that my friends across the aisle are saying that they are trying to protect. Park managers would be unable to change or alter access even if a proliferation of off-road vehicle use is damaging park resources. That is the downside from the environmental perspective, but even worse, from the perspective of these off-road vehicles, it could mean an end to all off-roading in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Mr. Speaker, Park Service has to have a rule in place if they want to authorize any access. That is what this rule does. If Congress repeals it and the CRA says no replacement rule can be issued, that is how it works. It is like Cortez when he got to Mexico, he burned the boats so nobody would go back.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“The updated rule, which is being targeted today, balances visitor use and access with the long-term stewardship and management of park resources. Despite some of the rhetoric that we may hear from the other side of the aisle, the Park Service did not shut off access to off-road vehicles. Nothing could be further from the truth. The rule allows off- road vehicles on 388 miles of road within the park, only closing access to approximately 6 percent of the existing roadways to protect sensitive resources. Even those roads are still open to cars, jeeps, and other street- legal vehicles. They are just closed to vehicles that have the ability to travel off-road and cause severe damage in proposed wilderness and other sensitive landscapes.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“Now, the National Park Service is tasked with managing park units in a manner that balances public access and enjoyment while ensuring responsible stewardship of the natural environment. That is their job. Achieving that balance can be a tall order under the best of circumstances. It has become even more difficult as the Trump administration works to dismantle the National Park Service. More than 12.5 percent of the entire workforce has left the agency since Donald Trump took office. It has only been a little more than 100 days, and we are already down 2,000 rangers and park employees. House Republicans have stood by and watched, and now they are proposing a resolution that undermines national park management even further.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution would nullify a National Park Service rule that manages motor vehicle use within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It is a commonsense rule that this resolution targets, and it outlines where cars and off-road vehicles are allowed to travel within the boundaries of the national recreation area. It shouldn't be controversial. It shouldn't be political. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a very popular destination. It offers ample opportunities for backcountry exploration across 1.25 million acres of public land. To put that in perspective, this area is larger than the entire State of Rhode Island.”
House of Representatives29 April 2025Source ↗
“Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' again on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives5 February 2025Source ↗
“Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives5 February 2025Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered.”
House of Representatives23 January 2025Source ↗