Heinrich Statement on Trump Stripping Protections From Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, Continuing War on the West and Attacks on America’s Public Lands

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement in response to President Trump stripping protections from the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments:

“Today’s executive action is another chapter in this administration’s War on the West.

“By once again stripping protections from the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, President Trump is turning the Antiquities Act on its head. This law – championed by conservationist John Lacey, drafted by archeologist Edgar Lee Hewett, and signed into law by President Teddy Roosevelt— was written to protect America’s greatest natural, scientific, and cultural treasures, not to strip away protections that generations of Americans have fought to secure.  

“These monuments safeguard irreplaceable archaeological sites, critical wildlife habitat, and landscapes that hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for Tribal communities. They also support local economies built around outdoor recreation. 

“Time and again, this administration has put the interests of billionaires and powerful industries ahead of America’s public lands and the people who own them. And once again, they’re ignoring Tribal voices, sidelining local communities, and threatening places that belong to every American.

“But the American people have made it clear they want public lands kept in public hands. They understand that these places are part of our natural heritage and our collective identity. Once they’re lost, they’re gone forever. 

“These are not museums. They are living cultural landscapes that hold deep meaning and direct connection to Tribal communities today. To issue this executive action without government-to-government consultation is a slap in the face to all the Tribes who have fought for generations to protect these sacred places.

“I’ll keep fighting alongside Tribes, local communities, hunters, anglers, hikers, small businesses, scientists, and everyone who agrees that our public lands are one of America’s greatest ideas – and ensure that future generations can inherit the same opportunity to experience that wild places that define us. To everyone who loves your public lands: now is the time to raise your voices and make sure this is a brief, although dark, period in the story of this great nation.”

Heinrich has been a staunch supporter of protecting and expanding the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments.

In 2016, Heinrich applauded President Obama's designation of Bears Ears National Monument, praising the years-long work of Tribal nations to protect the landscape and highlighting the monument's groundbreaking tribal co-management framework.

In 2017, Heinrich stood with Tribal leaders in urging Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to meet directly with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and honor the federal government's commitment to meaningful tribal consultation before taking any action affecting the monument.

Following President Trump's decision to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in December 2017, Heinrich forcefully condemned the action, calling it "a direct assault on sacred lands and tribal sovereignty" and warning it threatened public lands across the country.

In 2018, Heinrich repeatedly pressed the Trump administration to halt implementation of the monument reductions while legal challenges were pending, joining multiple Senate letters urging the Interior Department to pause new management plans, preserve existing protections, consider millions of public comments, and conduct meaningful consultation with Tribal nations.

Heinrich also cosponsored the ANTIQUITIES Act, legislation reaffirming that only Congress—not a president—has the authority to reduce or revoke a national monument designation.

In 2019, Heinrich opposed the Trump administration's final Bears Ears management plan, arguing Interior should not weaken protections for the monument while the legality of Trump's reductions remained before the courts.

In 2021, Heinrich led Senate Democrats in calling on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to recommend restoring Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante,urging the Biden administration to reverse the Trump administration's reductions and defend the Antiquities Act.

Later that year, Heinrich applauded President Biden's restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, calling the decision an important step toward protecting America's public lands and supporting continued Tribal co-stewardship of Bears Ears.

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