Rep. Gabe Vasquez Calls on Congress to Renew Bipartisan, Patriotic Tradition of Protecting Public Lands

August 31, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 31, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) , co-founder of the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus , took to the House floor to make the case that protecting America’s public lands is an act of patriotism and called on lawmakers in both parties to revive Congress’ long tradition of bipartisan conservation. Vasquez pointed to landmark conservation laws including the Wilderness Act , the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act , and the Endangered Species Act — all of which passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. He argued that the same spirit of cooperation is urgently needed today as public lands face growing threats of sell-offs to the highest bidder, development, and efforts to roll back longstanding conservation protections. “Today, foreign companies have spread their tentacles and sprawl unto our forests, rivers and national monuments, all in search of a quick buck. Paired together with short-sighted proposals from this Administration that include threatening to undo the Roadless Rule, eliminating the Public Lands Rule, shrinking our national monuments, opening sensitive habitats to drilling in the Arctic Refuge, narrowing regulations of the Endangered Species Act, shrinking the US Forest Service, robbing crucial maintenance funds from the National Parks budget, and just recently, selling off part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer — we are in deep, deep trouble of losing what both Democrats and Republicans have long fought to conserve and protect,” said Vasquez. Vasquez added , “The truth is, Americans love nature. Hunters, anglers, and families alike agree that public lands are patriotic. Let us renew these concepts of bipartisan cooperation and protect our shared patriotism, even if it means standing up to your own party, standing up to this Administration, in the wake of the largest wave of attacks we’ve seen to our public lands in our nation’s history. I know I’ll be doing my damnedest to protect the places we love in New Mexico, across the West, and this great nation. I hope my colleagues in this body can put partisanship aside and have the courage to do the same.” WATCH THE FULL CLIP HERE Full Remarks Transcript Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about patriotism and what it means to be a patriot in this great country. The American experience is one that we all share. It bonds us together under one Constitution, and as lawmakers serving in these hallowed halls, we have the privilege of carrying forward one of the world’s greatest democratic ideas through one of its most deliberative bodies. Fortunately for the American public, that experience includes over a century of bipartisan support for ANOTHER one of our nation’s GREATEST and BEST ideas: the creation, shared stewardship, and enjoyment of our nation’s public lands. So that we may continue to hunt, to fish, to take our families camping, to discover America’s history, and to unravel the great mysteries and gifts that can only be found in our nation’s national forests, national parks, BLM lands, and wildlife refuges. Long after the creation of the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 by Republican President and Conservationist Teddy Roosevelt, Americans of all political stripes have continued the legacy of conserving our public lands for all Americans, for multiple use — both for our enjoyment, and for the domestic production of natural resources — a careful balance that requires bipartisanship and local support. Let me remind this body of the tremendous work of U.S. Senator Frank Church. The Senator’s impact on this nation’s Wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, and land and water conservation is to be celebrated. But in particular, he should be lauded for the way in which he went about passing many of our nation’s bedrock public lands laws that stand until this day. You see, Senator Church was a quiet, careful workman who worked across the aisle to strike compromise and pass overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation such as the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land & Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, and the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. This was an unprecedented period of patriotism and public lands – where bipartisanship flourished and Congress worked as a unified body to protect our nation’s most precious resources. In 1964, the Wilderness Act passed the House by a whopping 373-1 majority. That same year, the Land & Water Conservation Fund Act passed by a voice vote in the House and a 92 to 1 vote in the Senate. In 1973, the House passed the Endangered Species Act in a landslide 355-4 vote. Even Nixon, not known as an environmentalist, in 1972, proclaimed that “What began as environmental awakening must mature finally into a new and higher environmental way of life.” Believe it or not, there was a time in which this body crafted win-win models of public lands legislation. That’s why I helped establish the first-ever bipartisan Public Lands Caucus with Former Interior Secretary and Montana Representative Ryan Zinke. Because today, we have the potential to piece together the remnants of bipartisan political consensus and provide a powerful framework for modern conservation and public lands initiatives. Working together under this patriotic caucus to achieve wider bipartisan agreement, I believe we can mediate conflicts between natural resource users and protection proponents, and demonstrate that economic development and conservation are not mutually exclusive objectives. But today, foreign companies have spread their tentacles and sprawl unto our forests, rivers and national monuments, all in search of a quick buck. Paired together with short-sighted proposals from this Administration that threaten to undo the Roadless Rule, the elimination of the Public Lands Rule, the shrinking of our national monuments, opening sensitive habitats to drilling in the Arctic Refuge, narrowing regulations of the Endangered Species Act, shrinking the US Forest Service, robbing crucial maintenance funds from the National Parks budget, and just recently, selling off part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer — we are in deep, deep trouble of losing what both Democrats and Republicans have long fought to conserve and protect. Public lands improve every American’s quality of life. They provide abundance and liberty for all. We must fight to ensure access to the American dream and that includes access to public lands and a healthy environment. The truth is, Americans love nature. Hunters, anglers and families alike agree that public lands are patriotic. Let us renew these concepts of bipartisan cooperation and protect our shared patriotism, even if it means standing up to your own party, standing up to this Administration, in the wake of the largest wave of attacks we’ve seen to our public lands in our nation’s history. I know I’ll be doing my damnedest to protect the places we love in New Mexico, across the West, and this great nation. I hope my colleagues in this body can put partisanship aside and have the courage to do the same. Thank you Mr. Speaker, I yield back. ### Issues : Environment & Conservation