House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) criticized President Biden's expansion of national monuments without local input, stating, "President Biden is no stranger to bureaucratic overreaches and ignoring the will of the people. Each time his administration makes an announcement to lock up more of our federal lands it comes without local input or support. The communities affected by today's announcement were kept squarely in the dark. President Biden’s Antiquities Act abuses and radical 30x30 agenda must come to an end so management decisions can return to the people who know the lands best."
The Biden administration formalized the expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, adding to the over 3.6 million acres of national monuments designated unilaterally by Biden since taking office. Westerman highlighted that these actions further the abuses of the Antiquities Act of 1906 and disregard local communities and stakeholders, stating, "These land lockups threaten the western way of life and have repeatedly been made without the input or consent of the local communities that are most affected."
Westerman has been vocal in his criticism of Biden's use of executive authority under the Antiquities Act, emphasizing the negative impact on important natural resources and minerals essential to America's economy and national security. He previously demanded answers for previous land lockups in a letter co-authored with Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).
The expansion of national monuments by President Biden has raised concerns about the lack of local input and community support in these decisions, with Westerman advocating for a shift towards management decisions that involve those who are most familiar with the lands.
