U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington has expressed concerns over the Biden Administration's plan to purchase 30% of U.S. land by 2030 and expand a wildlife refuge in West Texas by 10,000%, describing it as a federal land grab. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
"The Biden Administration finalized a plan to buy up 30% of the land in the US by 2030, a significant part of which was expanding a wildlife refuge in West Texas by an outrageous 10,000," said Jodey Cook Arrington, U.S. Representative for Texas's 19th congressional district (R). "I'm proud to have led the fight to defend our tax dollars, private property rights, and way of life by advancing legislation to prohibit and defund this federal land grab. I applaud the Trump Administration's decision to withdraw the Biden Administration's unnecessary and overreaching expansion of federal lands."
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 2021 report "Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful," the Biden Administration aims to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through voluntary, locally led conservation efforts. The initiative emphasizes collaboration with local communities, private landowners, and Tribal Nations as part of a broader conservation movement addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Protected Areas Database indicates that as of March 2023, approximately 12% of land in the United States is under permanent protection for conservation purposes. Achieving the "30 by 30" goal would require increasing protected land by an additional 18%, or about 400 million acres nationwide.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there was a proposal to significantly expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in West Texas; however, this plan was withdrawn in July 2025 following local opposition and concerns over federal land management. The withdrawal halted a major land acquisition effort intended to enhance habitat protection in the region.
Arrington has served as U.S. Representative for Texas’s 19th congressional district since 2017. He is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and has been recognized for his leadership on rural and agricultural policy.
