Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as we sit here in the people's House, millions of children in the Middle East are living in fear, trauma, and danger. That fear has only intensified as the President has waged an illegal war in Iran, with hundreds of schoolchildren killed, thousands of civilians lost, and bombs still dropping in Lebanon as entire communities have been reduced to rubble.

The President is seemingly no closer to ending the war he unleashed and, instead, is obsessing about golden ballrooms, grand arches, and algae-infested pools while asking this body for an unprecedented $1.5 billion for more weapons and military spending to wage this war and a State Department and foreign affairs budget that continues devastating cuts to the lifesaving programs of USAID that have directly contributed to the loss of food, medicine, and critical lifesaving aid across the world, with completely preventable deaths for thousands of children.

This is a moral moment for America. Will we stand up and say stop this war and reinvest in our humanitarian missions? Will we speak up against injustice and suffering? Will we remain silent?

Last night, the Senate finally passed our War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran, sending a clear message that it is time to end this illegal war.

Today, I stand here on the floor to offer amendments to the foreign affairs budget to restore funding for critical aid, food, and resources for the children of the Middle East, and particularly for Gaza. They have faced unimaginable suffering over the last several years.

Just yesterday, a U.N. commission reported on the deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a deliberate strategy to destroy future Palestinian communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes.

We must stand up as the branch of government by the people and for the people. We must be a voice for right and wrong, a moral conscience for this country and for our people.

Back home, my constituents are calling my office daily to ask for an end to this conflict and the suffering, and to choose a different path for this country, a path that invests in our people in communities and the children of this planet; a path that ends the violence and the killing in the Middle East, Gaza, and the West Bank; and a path that ends the destruction of communities, schools, hospitals, roads, and water systems that have devastated millions.

Mr. Speaker, it has been catastrophic. Whether it is funding in this bill, another military spending bill from the White House, or the NDAA, Congress cannot remain silent. Congress cannot remain complicit. Congress cannot fund this violence, especially when the greatest burden has fallen on children.

Children have watched their parents, siblings, and classmates die and are waking up every day, wondering where their next meal will come from and whether they will survive the night. No child should inherit a future defined by violence and despair, and certainly not funded by the taxpayers of the American people.

If Americans are serious about building a safer and more stable world, we must invest in the people who have been impacted most by these conflicts abroad.

That is why I am offering these amendments to restore humanitarian aid to the children of Gaza, invest in schools and healthcare for moms and

children, combat malnutrition, reunite families, and provide shelter for those who have lost their homes. Children should not pay the price for violence and a war they did not start.

I urge my colleagues today to stand up in this moral moment to support these amendments and reverse course as a nation; recognize that America's strength comes not from its military might but from our moral leadership; and vote for a future where children have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I can say that I have made my choice. I choose peace, human dignity, and the children of the world, and I hope my colleagues will join me.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 223.

Mr. Speaker, we must celebrate the wins because there is so much that happens here in the House that is not in service of the American people, including, this week, Republican efforts to give a blank check to ICE and to pass an education bill that would gut funding for schools and education institutions.

That is why we must celebrate the wins, and why I am so proud today to introduce my bipartisan Postsecondary Student Success Act to ensure that all students from all walks of life can succeed.

In New Mexico, we are leading the way as the first State in the country to guarantee early childhood education, free childcare, free college, and free trades schools for all. It was legislation I was proud to cosponsor and lead in the legislature and here in Congress. These are generational investments that will transform the lives of countless New Mexicans.

Today, I am introducing my Postsecondary Student Success Act that will make crucial investments to ensure that working parents, first- generation students, veterans, and students with disabilities who face real barriers, financial stress, lack of support, and systems--

--that are not built for them can succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the floor this afternoon because I believe this Nation is losing its moral compass, led by a President who is more interested in ballrooms and bullying reporters than the rights and the dignity of our basic human rights as Americans.

This week, this body will consider a $70 billion package of funding for ICE to continue a cruel and inhuman detention system that has robbed countless Americans of their freedom and human dignity; that has fueled a massive for-profit private prison industry with billions of taxpayer dollars on the backs of the suffering of our people; that has torn families apart, incarcerated children, killed dozens in detention, violated human and civil liberties, and left millions of people in this country living in fear every day.

Now, the leadership of this body wants to approve another $70 billion on top of the more than $100 billion that they already gave them so that the Trump administration can continue to terrorize our families and communities without any checks. This is not okay. This body has lost its moral compass.

It follows after last week as this body passed appropriations bills that cut hundreds of millions of dollars in food assistance to children, not just children here in the United States but abroad. In a time when hunger is higher now in this country today than it was during COVID, they chose to cut food assistance to American children and children across the world.

Last week, in their agriculture bill, they cut food, housing, and basic infrastructure for rural communities and food to children.

Now, they want another blank check for ICE?

What next? The President is asking for $1.5 trillion for more bombs for illegal wars to continue the suffering abroad.

That is why I am here today to stand, to fight, to fight back, to reclaim the dignity of this body, the moral compass of this country.

Last week, we finally passed a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran. We did not succeed yet in passing a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Lebanon, but we cannot stand by and let this reckless President wage illegal wars in the Middle East and empower an out-of- control foreign leader, who even this weekend further threatened the peace of the Middle East through continued attacks. It must stop. Congress must assert not only our Constitutional authority but reclaim our moral compass.

As we stand here in this Chamber, violence continues abroad. Over the weekend, bombs and firefights shelled communities in Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. In Lebanon, more than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 11,000 injured, and more than a million people have been displaced and lost their homes. Families have lost loved ones. Communities have been uprooted. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Across the region, innocent people are paying the price for decisions they did not make and conflicts they did not create.

As this violence rages on, it happens against the backdrop of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, ongoing human rights violations in the West Bank, human suffering that has reached unimaginable levels. Children are facing hunger, displacement, and the constant threat of violence. Families are struggling to access food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.

In the West Bank, Palestinian families continue to face violence daily. A 7-month-old baby was shot and killed by a soldier just days ago in a car. Entire villages and sacred olive trees have been destroyed. There are restrictions on movement, indignities in everyday life, and unfathomable cruelty.

These impacts are not just felt in these communities but in our districts here at home, as their families and friends watch in horror and grief.

We have a fundamental, not only constitutional, responsibility as Congress to rein in these immoral and illegal wars but to stop these crimes.

Congress cannot stand by and let this continue. These illegal wars are not only violations of our war powers, they are violations of the basic human rights of our people.

So it is time to end these illegal wars.

End the cruel and inhuman policies that are terrorizing our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to support this War Powers Resolution to stop the U.S. Government from being complicit in a war in Lebanon that is devastating the Lebanese people. Millions of innocent civilians in Lebanon and across the region have been trapped by brutal violence and displacement.

With fighting that just began only a mere 3 months ago, more than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 11,000 injured, and more than a million displaced in Lebanon alone.

We cannot look at Lebanon in a vacuum. We have to recognize the dangerous parallels to Netanyahu's illegal incursions in Gaza and the West Bank that have also caused mass suffering.

It was reported that, even this week, Donald Trump himself called Netanyahu crazy and claimed that he would be in prison if it was not for him.

What we have witnessed is a devastating pattern: Military force that kills and displaces countless civilians, destroys vital civilian infrastructure and sacred sites, and deepens an endless cycle of violence and trauma.

Mr. Speaker, no one on this side of the aisle supports terrorism or terrorist organizations. For our colleagues to claim so is just wrong.

Just as operations in the West Bank and Gaza have destabilized prospects for lasting peace, pushing a front into Lebanon will not achieve long-term security for the region. As we saw just this week, further acts of violence in Lebanon certainly won't end the President's illegal war.

Families in both Lebanon and Palestine have lost their homes. Children are growing up in fear, and generations have yet to experience a moment of peace. Violent attacks, restrictions on movement, indignities to everyday life, and unfathomable cruelty, these impacts are not just felt in these communities but in our own communities here in the United States, as well.

As family and friends are watching in horror and grief, my own office has received countless heartbreaking stories from family members and colleagues living in Palestine and Lebanon: displacement, loss of homes, livelihoods, and entire communities; children living in fear; and people attacked, beaten, or arrested for merely attempting to live their lives and to pray.

Congress cannot stand silent for a moment longer. Congress has not authorized any war in the Middle East. Just a few hours ago, this body in this House voted to end the illegal war in Iran. We cannot be complicit in these crimes. It is time to end this war. It is time to reclaim our constitutional power.

It is time to restore the dignity of the United States, and it is time to restore human rights and the standing of the United States here in this country.

Our responsibility is to end this illegal war now.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 5682, which will return ancestral homelands in southern California to the Pechanga Band of Indians. The lands that would be returned under this bill are located within the Pu'eska Mountain, a sacred site with cultural, historic, and religious significance to the Tribe.

In the mid-2000s, the Tribe fought tirelessly to protect these lands from destructive mining that would have destroyed the mountain. They ultimately purchased and took into trust much of these lands.

In addition to the Tribe, the Bureau of Land Management holds several parcels on the mountain, including approximately 1,261 acres adjacent to the Tribe's trust land.

H.R. 5682 will take these lands into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, consolidating most of the mountain into Tribal trust land and allowing the Tribe to steward their ancestral lands.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to address the exclusion of five southeast Alaska Native communities.

When ANCSA was enacted in 1971 to resolve Alaska Native land claims, Congress created the Alaska Native Corporations, a structure that is vastly different than the framework established for Tribal nations in the lower 48. Most Alaska Natives were enrolled into both a village corporation and a regional corporation. However, the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell were left off the eligibility list for establishing village corporations under ANCSA.

H.R. 41 seeks to address that omission by creating Alaska Native Urban Corporations for each of the five communities and authorizing the conveyance of approximately 23,040 acres of land, consistent with the acreage provided to the other southeast Alaska Native communities under ANCSA, from the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that, over the years, this legislation has generated debate, particularly regarding the conveyance of Federal lands within the Tongass National Forest. As the legislation advances, we remain committed to working with our colleagues in the Senate to address the historic injustices that occurred for these communities while safeguarding the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of the Tongass National Forest.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2768 would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to study the feasibility of designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail.

This study is the first step toward securing a well-deserved national designation for this historic ``sister trail'' of the Appalachian Trail.

Honoring the legacy of Benton MacKaye, the visionary regional planner who first proposed the Appalachian Trail and cofounded The Wilderness Society, the Benton MacKaye Trail spans nearly 300 miles across Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, running through some of the most treasured national landscapes, including 93 miles within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This is exactly the type of trail meant for this official designation under the National Trails System Act, and it is encouraging to see bipartisan enthusiasm for the potential of expanding this system.

I recognize and thank Representative Cohen, who was the former sponsor of this bill, for his leadership and dedication to this issue.

I am strongly supportive of efforts to designate new trails and expand the conservation of our public lands. As we navigate the escalating biodiversity and climate crises, protecting these natural spaces and ensuring public access and recreation is more critical than ever. It is my sincere hope that we will work more frequently together on a bipartisan basis to pass conservation efforts just like this one moving forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3831 amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prohibit the feeding of sharks within the exclusive economic zone surrounding Florida. Currently, the Magnuson-Stevens Act only bans shark feeding in Federal waters around Hawaii and the U.S. territories.

Feeding sharks can alter their natural behavior by creating an association between humans and food sources. This behavioral conditioning may increase the risk of human-shark interactions, placing both people and sharks in danger. These changes in behavior can also disrupt the balance of marine ecosystems overall.

The increased risk of negative human and shark interactions is bad for the economy, too. It harms ecotourism and recreation, which is a multibillion-dollar industry that fuels coastal towns.

In addition, the fishing community is increasingly concerned that shark feeding encourages depredation, which is the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish from an angler's line by a shark.

NOAA Fisheries has noted that one of the reasons shark depredations have increased is that sharks are able to identify boats as an easy source of food.

Florida State law already prohibits the feeding of sharks in State waters. This amendment would expand that ban to Florida's adjacent Federal waters, creating continuity and a cohesive approach to protecting the coast, supporting a strong coastal economy, safeguarding those who rely on these waters for work and recreation, and preserving Florida's cherished marine life.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3831, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4463, which would respect the principles of self-determination and self-governance by restoring the Catawba Indian Nation's right to determine their own citizenship criteria.

Congress enacted the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina land Claims Settlement Act in 1993 to resolve the Nation's longstanding land claims and provide for monetary settlement funds. The act included a restrictive provision that limited the Nation's enrollment to individuals who could demonstrate both lineal descent from the 1962 final roll and a maintained political relationship with the Tribe.

While the intention of this requirement was to determine eligibility for settlement distributions, which have long been completed, it has had further-reaching implications for the Tribe's ability to enroll its own members.

H.R. 4463 is a simple but meaningful fix to remove this restriction so that the Nation can determine their own citizenship criteria.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5911 would authorize the conveyance of the Crystal Reservoir in Colorado and its surrounding infrastructure from the U.S. Forest Service to the city of Ouray, Colorado.

In early 2024, the Forest Service was forced to drain this reservoir because the Full Moon Dam had become structurally compromised. For the city of Ouray, this was a crisis. The community relies heavily on this reservoir to maintain its municipal water supply, support vital wildfire preparedness, and sustain the outdoor recreational economy in the Red Mountains.

The bill before us provides a straightforward solution: transfer of the 45-acre area to the city so that Ouray can repair the dam, refill the reservoir, and secure the water rights necessary to protect its residents.

But just as importantly, this legislation demonstrates exactly the right way to execute a public land conveyance.

This transfer is transparent. It is strictly accountable, and it guarantees that the land will perpetually benefit the public. The bill explicitly mandates that the area be maintained as open space in perpetuity. It guarantees permanent free public access for recreation. It strictly prohibits commercial development, allowing only for necessary dam operations that comply with Colorado water law.

To ensure total accountability, the bill includes a strict reversionary clause that if any of these conditions are violated, the transfer is canceled.

Because this bill was crafted in the right way, it has earned broad and enthusiastic local support. It is backed by the city of Ouray, the towns of Ridgway and Silverton, Ouray and San Juan Counties, and the Ouray County Sheriff.

It has also earned the endorsement of vital community groups, including the Colorado River District, the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, the Trust For Public Land restoration, and the Ouray Trail Group.

Furthermore, this responsible, public-first approach has garnered strong bipartisan support in the Senate, proving that when we prioritize transparency and perpetual public benefit, we can build robust consensus.

H.R. 5911 is a model for how to empower local communities, while protecting public access and conservation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is always a good day when New Mexico is in the House, and we are in the House today with the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which is why I am so honored to be able to speak about my legislation supported by the entire New Mexico delegation, H.R. 6162, which is the Albuquerque Indian School Act.

Back home in New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a place for community, culture, language, celebration, education, and economic development for our 19 pueblos right in the heart of my hometown in Albuquerque.

What is now the nationally recognized Indian Pueblo Cultural Center was once the Albuquerque Indian School, which was established as an Indian boarding school in the 1880s. Although the school operated through 1981, Congress began efforts to return the property to New Mexico's 19 pueblos in 1969, and the center was reopened as a cultural center in 1976. Since then, Congress has passed a number of bills to place this land into trust for the benefit of the pueblos.

H.R. 6162 continues this important work, and this bill will transfer 9.89 acres of land that was historically a part of the former Albuquerque Indian School from the GSA to the Department of the Interior so that it can be taken into trust for the benefit of our 19 pueblos who helped to govern the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

The IPCC campus serves as a vibrant gathering place, where Pueblo culture is celebrated through community events, educational experiences, the arts, and economic opportunities for Pueblo and local economic development.

This property is managed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors and New Mexico's 19 sovereign Pueblos. This council traces its origins back to before 1598 and is one of the oldest, continuous intertribal governing organizations in North America today. It serves as a collective voice for the Pueblo nations. Through leadership, advocacy, and cultural stewardship, the council works to protect Tribal sovereignty and advance the shared priorities of our Pueblo communities.

Under the leadership and dedication of the Pueblos, a site that was once marked by trauma and cultural loss has been transformed into a place of renewal, resilience, and investment in Tribal communities. Since its opening in 1976, the IPCC has served as a living hub for Pueblo languages, art, culture, dance, storytelling, and empowerment of our Pueblo communities, right in the heart of our city, as thousands of visitors from all over the world come every year to visit.

We invite everyone across the country and the world to come visit and to join us in celebrating Pueblo culture. The center serves as a home not only to the thriving communities of our New Mexico Pueblo communities but also as a place for education. It is home to regional BIE and BIA offices; tribally run businesses; a Native-run charter school; and a meeting space, of course, for the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

Mr. Speaker, passing H.R. 6162 will allow the IPCC to continue to expand its work to promote cultural preservation, economic opportunity, community development, and economic development, while honoring the history, traditions, and enduring strength of the 19 Pueblos. It also represents another step in restoring Tribal stewardship over ancestral lands and ensuring that this historic site continues to serve future generations in New Mexico.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, for over three decades, the American Battlefield Protection Program has been instrumental in saving sites from the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, and the Civil War. H.R. 7618 would build on that legacy by reauthorizing the program for another 7 years, beyond the current expiration through fiscal year 2036, at the existing authorization level of $20 million per annum.

This bill would also streamline the program by combining funding for interpretation grants and restoration grants into a single $2 million authorization. This is a smart technical improvement to how we provide support for State, local, and nonprofit partners who work to protect these lands.

Since history does not start and stop with just these three conflicts, the legislation rightly directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare resource studies for sites from the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, two pivotal eras currently ineligible for these specific grants, laying the groundwork to protect even more of our shared heritage.

Preserving our history is a bipartisan obligation, so I thank Representative Seth Magaziner for his leadership on the Democratic side in bringing this bill forward, along with our colleagues across the aisle. As we celebrate America250 this year, preserving the physical landscapes of our past has never been more vital.

Our battlegrounds are living classrooms. Protecting these sacred grounds ensures historical accuracy, allowing future generations to walk where our forebearers fought, sacrificed, and demonstrated the true cost of our freedoms.

Bills like this one show the importance of bipartisan unity. It is so important that we not allow partisanship

to destroy this historic moment. We must work together to safeguard the unvarnished truth of our history.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7618, honoring our past and ensuring that our history remains intact for the next 250 years, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act.

This bill would reauthorize a commonsense permitting program, allowing the Bureau of Land Management to continue collecting fees with applications for permits to drill oil and gas wells.

These fees go into the Permit Processing Improvement Fund, which funds the expert staff responsible for processing drilling permits, conducting inspections, and ensuring compliance with environmental laws.

Studies have consistently found that understaffing at agencies is one of the most common causes of permitting delays. Funding expert agency staff, as the Permit Processing Improvement Fund does, is the simplest solution to speeding up permitting without cutting corners on safety.

Without this bill, BLM's authority to collect these fees will expire at the end of this year. Allowing this authority to expire would have serious consequences for staffing and permitting efficiency, especially given the devastating cuts to the Federal workforce that have been undertaken by this administration.

I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may concern.

The CLEAN Act is designed to speed up geothermal leasing and permitting, which we support. It would add a 30-day deadline for the Secretary to issue geothermal permits to drill if all environmental reviews have been completed.

The CLEAN Act would also require the Department of the Interior to hold lease sales once a year instead of every 2 years. The current leasing schedule means that geothermal developers can wait for years just for the chance to lease public lands, creating delays in getting clean, reliable energy to American communities.

This faster leasing schedule only applies to States where developers have expressed interest in geothermal leasing, so it won't make extra work for field offices that have no reason to do this work.

I thank the bill's sponsor and my colleagues across the aisle for working with the Natural Resources Committee Democrats to retain important agency discretion in which public lands are leased.

The bill, as originally drafted before these revisions, required that the Department of the Interior offer a lease to every piece of public land that the industry expressed an interest in. That old language mirrored language that passed in the big, ugly bill for oil and gas, requiring the Secretary to offer to lease all the public lands that any industry would want.

It doesn't matter if that meant allowing drilling next to a drinking water source like Colorado's Aurora Reservoir or the destruction of beloved trails like a popular trail in North Dakota's Badlands.

Since the passage of the big, ugly bill, BLM has put up public lands for leasing in both of these areas, creating local backlash. Geothermal drilling is certainly less dangerous than oil and gas, but there are still risks and places that are inappropriate to lease for environmental, cultural, and other reasons.

Natural Resources Committee Democrats have worked across the aisle in good faith to make a compromise, which will allow BLM to lease most of the industry-nominated public lands but allows the Secretary to choose not to lease lands for legal or environmental reasons.

We can speed up the build-out of clean, reliable geothermal energy without sacrificing special places and community support.

While I recognize that this bill still contains controversial provisions, including the requirement that 75 percent of nominated parcels for geothermal development be leased, we are encouraged by the reduction of that threshold.

Committee Democrats are urging the Senate to carefully consider the legislation and prioritize a balanced approach to managing our public lands, one that prioritizes responsible management of public lands for our communities and for the environment.

Mr. Speaker, Committee Democrats urge our colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.