Jared Huffman Criticizes GOP Use of Congressional Review Act on Public Land Rules

Opposition to Congressional Review Act Resolutions

• ❌ Rep. Jared Huffman strongly opposes three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that would overturn years of public input, silence tribal voices, and erase science-based planning.
• 🎯 The resolutions are seen as an effort by the Republican majority to hand over millions of acres of public lands to the fossil fuel industry for extraction.

Management of Public Lands

• 🌳 Public lands are described as a national treasure, stewarded by agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service through careful resource management plans.
• ⚖️ These plans, such as BLM's Resource Management Plans (RMPs), are crafted to safeguard wildlife, recreation, and watersheds while identifying suitable areas for energy development, grazing, and logging.
• 🤝 RMPs are developed with robust input from communities, stakeholders, the public, and through government-to-government consultation with impacted tribes.

Republican Tactics and Consequences

• ⛽ Republicans are accused of wanting to hand over public lands to big oil and big coal, bypassing public processes to score quick wins for their "fossil fuel buddies."
• ⚠️ The use of CRA resolutions could upend systems like land ownership for Alaska Native veterans and disrupt land management plans developed in good faith by tribal governments.
• 📜 If signed into law, CRA resolutions could call into question the validity of every permit, lease, and federal approval issued based on these RMPs, leading to litigation.

Alternative Processes and Call to Action

• 💡 Huffman reminds colleagues that the CRA has never been used to overturn a resource management plan, and there are valid ways to achieve similar goals through the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.
• 🗣️ He notes that both the Biden and Trump administrations have used formal processes to update RMPs, which allow for public input and tribal consultation.
• 📉 Huffman urges colleagues to stop the "race to the bottom" and vote against the CRA resolution package, citing the disregard for norms and bipartisan cooperation.