Costa, Huffman, Padilla, Schiff Lead Bipartisan Congressional Push to Stop Proposed Yosemite Land Transfer

September 15, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02), and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) are leading a bipartisan group of 157 lawmakers in urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to abandon a proposed transfer of federally managed public land within Yosemite National Park that would facilitate private access to an 83-acre ranch. Recent reporting indicates that the Department of the Interior and National Park Service have been considering a proposal to exchange or convey an interest in an approximately quarter-mile strip of federally managed public land within Yosemite to facilitate access to the privately owned property. In their letter to Secretary Burgum, the lawmakers wrote: “At its core, this proposal appears to provide a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans. Any decision to relinquish public land to private ownership should be supported by a clear and compelling public benefit, not merely the economic interests of a private party .” The lawmakers also raised concerns about the Department’s proposal to use Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) authority to facilitate the exchange. The letter notes that the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee did not agree to move forward on the project due to congressional objections. The lawmakers concluded: “ Public lands belong in public hands. Protection of public lands is a bipartisan issue, overwhelmingly supported by the American people from all walks of life .” The 157 House and Senate lawmakers who signed the letter are: U.S. Senators : Angela D. Alsobrooks, Michael Bennet, Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Maria Cantwell, Christopher Coons, Catherine Cortez Masto, Richard Durbin, Ruben Gallego, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maggie Hassan, Martin Heinrich, John W. Hickenlooper, Mazie Hirono, Mark Kelly, Andy Kim, Angus King, Ben Ray Luján, Edward J. Markey, Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray, Alex Padilla, Jacky Rosen, Bernie Sanders, Brian Schatz, Adam B. Schiff, Jeanne Shaheen, Tina Smith, Chris Van Hollen, Raphael G. Warnock, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ron Wyden. U.S. Representatives : Pete Aguilar, Gabe Amo, Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Wesley Bell, Ami Bera, Donald Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, Janelle Bynum, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Ed Case, Sean Casten, Kathy Castor, Judy Chu, Gilbert Cisneros, J. Luis Correa, Jim Costa, Jasmine Crockett, Henry Cuellar, Sharice Davids, Danny Davis, Madeleine Dean, Diana DeGette, Christopher Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Maxine Dexter, Debbie Dingell, Sarah Elfreth, Dwight Evans, Brian Fitzpatrick, Lizzie Fletcher, Valerie Foushee, Laura Friedman, John Garamendi, Jesús “Chuy” García, Robert Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Vicente Gonzalez, Maggie Goodlander, Adam Gray, Adelita Grijalva, Josh Harder, Steven Horsford, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Henry “Hank” Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Thomas Kean, William Keating, Ro Khanna, Kevin Kiley, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Greg Landsman, Rick Larsen, George Latimer, Mike Lawler, Susie Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Mike Levin, Sam Liccardo, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, Seth Magaziner, John Mannion, Doris Matsui, Sarah McBride, Betty McCollum, James McGovern, Grace Meng, Dave Min, Kelly Morrison, Seth Moulton, Kevin Mullin, Richard Neal, Joe Neguse, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Frank Pallone, Jimmy Panetta, Chris Pappas, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Ayanna Pressley, Mike Quigley, Emily Randall, Luz Rivas, Deborah Ross, Raul Ruiz, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Mary Gay Scanlon, Jan Schakowsky, Kim Schrier, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Melanie Stansbury, Greg Stanton, Haley Stevens, Suhas Subramanyam, Emilia Sykes, Mark Takano, Shri Thanedar, Mike Thompson, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Norma Torres, Lori Trahan, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Gabe Vasquez, Maxine Waters, and George Whitesides. Click HERE to read the full letter. Issues : Public Safety