‘Back to the days of land grabs': NM state lawmakers on alert against sale of public lands
Even though the Republican tax and spend bill that cleared the United States House of Representatives last month no longer authorizes the sale of thousands acres of public land, state lawmakers in New Mexico say they will continue to monitor how the federal government's actions toward public lands could impact Native nations.
As the interim legislative Indian Affairs Committee on Monday planned its work for the rest of 2025 at its first meeting since this year's legislative session, two members said the U.S. government's plan to sell public lands could threaten tribal sovereignty and economic development in New Mexico, which is home to 23 Indigenous nations.
Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, an enrolled member of the Piro Manso Tiwa Tribe and an Albuquerque Democrat, said she anticipates the federal government's sales of public lands may affect tribal sovereignty, and she wants to know what legal mechanisms are available to the state government to 'push back against those land grabs.'
'I envision us going back to the days of land grabs,' Roybal Caballero said.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), who co-founded the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus earlier this year, last month applauded the removal of a provision in the budget bill that would have authorized the sale of thousands acres of public land in Utah and Nevada.
At the time, Mark Allison, executive director of conservation advocacy group New Mexico Wild, said this is the first of many fights in coming days to stave off efforts to privatize public lands. 'The same forces that tried to sneak this land grab through would love nothing more than to come after New Mexico's public lands next time,' he said.
NM delegation: Three national monuments could be reduced, eliminated
Rep. Charlotte Little, an Albuquerque Democrat from San Felipe Pueblo, said on Monday she wants the committee to receive a report on the impact of the federal government's proposed actions toward the Chaco Canyon and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks national monuments, and how those actions could also affect economic development in the surrounding areas.
New Mexico's federal delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), in April asked the federal government to leave intact Tent Rocks along with Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and Rio Grande del Norte, which they said were 'under consideration for reduction or elimination.'
Roybal Caballero also said she wants the committee to discuss issues related to sustainable management of tribal lands including water rights, resource extraction and environmental protection.
By the end of the year, the committee is expected to endorse legislation for the 2026 legislative session.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texas Democrats flee state amid heated redistricting battle. Has this happened before?
WASHINGTON - A president jumping out of a window, a senator carried feet-first from their office, and state legislators moving into an out-of-state hotel: For as long as Americans have been legislating, they've been fleeing from legislatures to prevent votes from happening. Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State on Aug. 3 in an attempt to block a redistricting that would give Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives up to five more seats in the 2026 midterms. The Democrats dispersed to friendly blue states: Many traveled to the Chicago area in Illinois, greeted by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, while other groups landed in Boston, Massachusetts and Albany, New York. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to expel any Democrat who was not back in Austin by the time the legislature reconvened Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. CT. Republicans need what is called a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed to be present on the floor to carry out business. But the tactic of fleeing to deny quorum is one that's been used by both parties since the 1800s. Some lawmakers have hid out in their offices, while others have fled their state to avoid being compelled to show up to vote, as is the case with Texas Democrats. These are some of the most prominent examples from history. 1840: Abraham Lincoln jumps out of a first-floor window Before Abraham Lincoln served as president, he was a member of the Illinois state legislature from 1834 to 1842. He once jumped out of a first-floor window to try to prevent a quorum on a vote to shut down a state-run bank in 1840, according to The New York Times. Lincoln, a member of the Whig Party at the time, was an advocate of the state-run bank while his Democratic colleagues were not, the Times reported. Samuel Wheeler, who is the llinois state historian, told the Times that Lincoln had already been marked present for the quorum, making his effort pointless. 'It's not an episode that he's very proud of later,' Wheeler said. 1988: Bob Packwood carried into the chamber Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood, a Republican, tried to avoid a quorum call in February 1988 amid opposition to a Democratic-driven campaign finance reform bill, according to the U.S. Senate. He hid in his office until Capitol police later found him. The New York Times reported that Packwood had placed a chair against one door to prevent the officers from forcing it open. 'It was their mass against my mass,' he said at the time. The officers entered Packwood's office through another door, and they 'transported him feet-first into the Chamber,' the U.S. Senate website says. 2003: Texas Democrats protest redistricting effort Texas Democrats fled the state in 2003 to break quorum over Republican redistricting efforts. House Democrats went to Oklahoma until the regular session of the legislature ended, the Texas Tribune reported. Eleven Democratic state senators went to New Mexico after former Gov. Rick Perry called a special session, according to the Tribune. Then Democratic Sen. John Whitmire returned to Texas, officially allowing Republicans to advance with their redistricting plans after reaching a quorum. 2011: Wisconsin Democrats challenge anti-union bill Wisconsin Democrats fled their state in February 2011 in an attempt to block a budget-repair bill that would curtail collective bargaining rights from public employee unions, though the bill still ended up passing, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The lawmakers went to Illinois, but stayed at different places due to security concerns. When they returned in March, nearly 70,000 trade union and Democratic supporters greeted them at Capitol Square, according to The Guardian. 2011: Indiana Democrats flee to Comfort Suites in Illinois Indiana Democrats fled their state 14 years ago to halt legislative business and challenge the passage of a controversial anti-union legislation, The Daily Illini reported. They headed to the Comfort Suites hotel in Urbana, Illinois, on Feb. 22 that year and didn't return to their home state until March 28, the paper reported. Their bill total came out to be over $84,000 dollars. 'It was a very difficult decision - very difficult - and it got more difficult every day,' State Representative Ed DeLaney, who fled with his colleagues, told The New York Times in an interview. 'You only have so much ammunition, and this is a way to spend an awful lot of your ammunition on one point, and draw a lot of criticism in the process.' Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texas Democrats know they're fighting a losing cause. At least they're fighting.
This move by Democrats is performative at best. But it's one of the only things they've done to counteract President Trump's complete takeover of the government. Democrats in Texas are trying to represent the will of their constituents. To do so, they had to leave the state. On Aug. 4, the Texas Legislature was scheduled to vote on congressional redistricting that would turn five districts favoring Democrats to favor Republicans. To prevent the vote from happening, Democratic state legislators fled Texas, ensuring that the General Assembly would not have a quorum and thus making the vote impossible. 'We come here today with absolute moral clarity that this is absolutely the right thing to do to protect the people of the state of Texas,' state Rep. Gene Wu, the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, said at an Aug. 3 press conference in Chicago. Other legislators traveled to Albany, N.Y., and Boston. On one hand, this move by the Democrats is performative at best. Eventually, they will have to go back to Texas, and the new maps will be voted on. This doesn't mean it's a bad thing, though. It's one of the only things Democrats have done to counteract President Donald Trump's complete takeover of the government. Texas Democrats are pushing back on Republican antics This did not come out of nowhere – Trump specifically asked Republicans in the state to redraw the congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms to give their party an advantage through gerrymandering in the state's cities, which would give Democrats even less representation than they currently have. Gov. Greg Abbott had to call a special session to approve the maps. At the press conference, Wu pointed out that this decision is happening against the backdrop of historic flooding in central Texas in July that killed 135 people, including more than 35 children. Instead of focusing on disaster relief, Republicans are choosing to address the congressional maps. Republicans in Texas should be focused on helping their communities, not bending to the whims of the president. At the very least, redrawing districts could wait until after flooding has been addressed. While it was bold of Democrats to leave at such a perilous time, it's clear they're doing so because they feel it's the only option. Opinion: Republicans are afraid of Mamdani in New York. That's a good thing. Democrats know this is all for show. At least they're taking a stand. The Democrats are certainly getting the attention of their fellow Texas politicians. Abbott is so upset, he's threatening to remove the lawmakers from office if they do not return to the state to vote on the new maps. He also said the Democrats possibly committed felonies by fundraising for the $500 a day fines they're facing. 'Come and take it,' the Democrats replied. Opinion: What if I told you there's a Democrat who can still get the Republican vote? Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is also running for U.S. Senate, said he believes the runaway legislators should be 'found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.' Dustin Burrows, a Republican and the Texas Speaker of the House, has said he's prepared to issue civil arrest warrants for the missing Democrats. Trump has not weighed in on the Democratic play, seeing as he's too busy firing the commissioner of Labor Statistics and weighing in on Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad. Ultimately, this act of protest will have to come to an end. Democrats will have to head back to Austin and vote on these maps, whether they like it or not. But at least they're doing something to sound the alarm on the president's meddling and Republican acquiescence. People have been souring on the Democrats as of late. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Democrats see their party as 'weak' or 'ineffective.' It doesn't help that Democratic leadership is nowhere to be found nationwide. If anything, this act of protest will put attention back on the party and serve as a starting point for a stronger presence in predominantly red states ahead of the midterms. They're finally fighting back, even in a very red state like Texas. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno
Los Angeles Times
25 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
California redistricting would be ‘triggered' by Texas maps, Newsom says
WASHINGTON — A last-ditch effort by California Democrats to redraw the state's congressional map for the 2026 election, countering a similar push by Texas Republicans, is now up against the clock. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that Democrats are moving forward with a plan to put a rare mid-decade redistricting plan before voters on Nov. 4. But state lawmakers will craft a 'trigger' for the legislation, he said, meaning California voters would only vote on the measure if Texas moved forward with its own plans to redraw Congressional boundaries to add five more Republican seats. 'It's cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn't occur in Texas,' Newsom said. 'I hope they do the right thing, and if they do, then there'll be no cause for us to have to move forward.' Democratic lawmakers in Texas on Monday left the state to deprive Republicans of the quorum needed to pass the new maps. Republican lawmakers voted 85 to 6 to send state troopers to arrest them and bring them back to the Capitol, a move that is largely symbolic, since the lawmakers won't face criminal or civil charges. The outcome of the dueling efforts between Texas and California could determine which party controls the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections, which Democrats see as the last bulwark to President Trump's actions in his second term. Trump has pushed Republicans to add more GOP seats in Texas, hoping to stave off a midterm defeat. Democrats hold 43 of California's 52 congressional seats. Early discussions among California politicians and strategists suggest that redrawn lines could shore up some vulnerable incumbent Democrats by making their purple districts more blue, while forcing five or six of the state's nine Republican members into tougher reelection fights. But nothing official can be done until state lawmakers return from recess to Sacramento on Aug. 18. Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the Legislature, would have less than a month to draw a new map, hold hearings and negotiate the language of a bill calling for the special November election, leaving just enough time for voter guides to be mailed and ballots to be printed. Democratic lawmakers and operatives said Monday that the timeline is doable, but they would have to act quickly. California's Democratic congressional delegation expressed consensus during a video meeting Monday with moving forward with a ballot measure that would allow mid-decade redistricting only if another state moves forward with it, according to a person familiar with the virtual meeting, and that the change would be temporary. They expressed their support for the independent commission. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said the Democratic caucus met Sunday night 'to discuss the urgent threat of a continued, blatant Trumpian power grab — a coordinated effort to undermine our democracy and silence Californians.' Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly held separate meetings to discuss redistricting. David Binder, a pollster who works with Newsom, presented internal polling that showed tepid early support among voters for temporarily changing state laws to allow the Legislature to draw new maps for elections in 2026, 2028 and 2030. 'Our voters must be empowered to push back,' Rivas said. 'California has never backed down — and we won't start now.' Democratic lawmakers' exodus from Austin on Monday denied Republicans the quorum necessary to proceed with a vote on a redrawn state map that could net Republicans five congressional seats. Democratic lawmakers balked at threats from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas House Democratic Caucus put out a statement riffing on a slogan made famous during the Texas Revolution: 'Come and take it.' One member of the caucus noted that being absent was not a crime and that Texas warrants can't be served in Illinois or New York, where many lawmakers have gone. 'There is no felony in the Texas penal code for what he says,' said Jolanda Jones, a Democrat. 'He's trying to get soundbites, and he has no legal mechanism.' The Texas House Republican speaker, Dustin Burrows, said that Democrats leaving does not 'stop this House from doing its work. It only delays it.' But Abbott's legal options to get his redistricting bill passed, by expelling Democrats or compelling their return, appear narrow, likely forcing the governor's office to make challenges in courtrooms based in Democratic districts. Abbott has until the end of the year to secure new maps for them to be used in the state's March 3 primaries. At a news conference last week in Sacramento, Newsom compared Trump's pressure on Abbott to add five Republican congressional seats as akin to his efforts to 'find' 12,000 votes to win Georgia after the 2020 election. 'We're not here to eliminate the commission,' he said. 'We're here to provide a pathway in '26, '28 and in 2030 for congressional maps on the basis of a response to the rigging of the system by the president of the united states. It won't just happen in Texas. I imagine he's making similar calls all across this country. It's a big deal. I don't think it gets much bigger.' For decades, redrawing California's electoral maps amounted to political warfare. In 1971, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan vetoed a redistricting plan that he called 'a mockery of good government.' The California Supreme Court ultimately drew the lines, and did so again in 1991, when then-Gov. Pete Wilson rejected maps drawn by Democrats. California's state lawmakers last drew their own district lines in 2001, after members of both parties signed off on a plan drawn up to protect incumbents. In 2008, California voters stripped state lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts by passing Proposition 11, which created an independent redistricting commission. Two years later, voters handed the power to redraw congressional district maps to the same panel by passing Proposition 20. That group drew the lines before the 2012 elections, and again after the 2020 Census. California set the date for its last statewide special election — the 2021 attempted recall of Newsom — 75 days in advance. County election officials would need at least that much time to find voting locations and prepare ballots for overseas and military voters, which must be mailed 45 days before election day, one elections official said. 'We need at least a similar timeline and calendar to what took place in 2021 for the gubernatorial recall election,' said Dean Logan, the top elections official in Los Angeles County. Similarly, he said, counties will 'need the funding provided upfront by the state to conduct this election, and the funding to do the redistricting associated with it, because counties are not prepared financially.' The 2021 recall election cost California taxpayers about $200 million. The preliminary estimate for Los Angeles County to administer the redistricting election is about $60 million. Republican strategist Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party, said Republicans nationally need to take state Democrats' efforts to redraw the maps seriously — by pulling out their checkbooks. 'Our statewide Republican fundraising has atrophied because it has been over a generation since we had a viable statewide candidate in California,' he said. 'The kind of money that it would take to battle this — it would have to be national funding effort.' While Texas prompted California Democrats to take action, Fleischman said, the issue has enough momentum here that it ultimately doesn't matter what Texas does. 'If Gavin Newsom places this on the ballot, it means he's already done his polling and has figured out that it will pass because he cares more running for president that redistricting in California,' Fleischman said. 'And he knows he can't afford to make this play and lose.' Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who championed the ballot measure that created the independent redistricting commission, has not weighed in on the mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas and California. But a spokesperson for the former governor made clear that he vehemently opposes both. Since leaving office, Schwarzenegger has fought for independent map-drawing across the nation. Redistricting is among the political reforms that are the focus of the Schwarzenegger Institute at USC. 'His take on all of this is everyone learned in preschool or kindergarten that two wrongs don't make a right. He thinks gerrymandering is evil,' said Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger. 'It takes power from the people and gives it to politicians. He thinks it's evil, no matter where they do it.' Wilner reported from Washington, Nelson and Mehta from Los Angeles and Luna from Sacramento.
