Latest news with #D-NewMexico
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zinke forms bipartisan Public Lands Caucus
Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke speaks at a press conference announcing the launch of the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, while Montana Rep. Troy Downing listens. (Courtesy photo) Montana U.S. Rep Ryan Zinke, a Republican, joined with Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-NewMexico, to launch a new bipartisan congressional coalition focused on conserving America's public lands and expanding access to natural resources for all Americans. At a press conference in Washington D.C. last week, Zinke announced the launch of the Public Lands Caucus, which he will co-chair with Vazquez, comprising 14 members of the U.S. House representing districts across country, but heavily centered in the West. 'Our public lands is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. It's an American issue, and we should use it in that context of being red, white and blue,' Zinke said during the press conference announcing the caucus' formation. 'It's important that we talk about better management to preserve and defend why we live in the West and why America's greatest idea should be preserved and defended.' Zinke was the former Secretary of the Interior during Donald Trump's first administration before resigning amid a series of ethics investigations. The caucus' goal is to bring lawmakers together to advance 'practical, consensus-driven public lands policy that conserves national resources while supporting recreation, local economies and public access,' according to a press release from Zinke's office. 'Make no mistake, our public lands are this nation's great equalizer. On the water, on the land or in the back country, we all benefit equally from the foundations laid by great conservation leaders like Aldo Leopold and Teddy Roosevelt,' Vasquez said during the press conference. 'Public lands and public access to our forests, rivers, grasslands and deserts are a unique American experience that we must continue to fight for and that we cannot take for granted. They also help support a multi billion dollar industry, an outdoor recreation that powers rural communities, connects Americans to their history and to their heritage, and allows us to pass on our traditions to the next generation.' In addition to the two founding caucus chairs, the Public Lands Caucus includes representatives from Michigan, Idaho, California, North Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and Montana. Rep. Troy Downing, a freshman congressman representing Montana's eastern district, told reporters at the press event that '100%' of Montana's representatives supported the idea. Downing referenced his time serving on the Montana Land Board while he was the State Auditor, a five-member board that managed 5.5 million acres of state land, where he helped manage lands by 'sustained yield,' to preserve them for generations. 'In Montana, public lands, public land access, hiking, hunting, fishing are incredibly important to us. You could say it's in our veins, making sure that we are being stewards of these incredible assets,' Downing said. 'But that's not just Montana. That's not just the western states. It's not a partisan issue. I don't care what side of the aisle you come from, or if you come from neither side of the aisle. You care about this. You understand.' Many conservation-focused groups expressed their support of the new coalition, including Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Western Landowners Alliance. Public lands have become a political flashpoint in recent months as the Trump administration has promoted the idea that federal lands are part of the nation's 'balance sheet' and could be utilized to help pay off the national debt. In early April, when the U.S. Senate passed its federal budget, Montana's two Republican Senators, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, bucked their party in a vote for an amendment which would have prevented the sale of public lands to lower the federal deficit, though the amendment failed 49-51. Showing that all of Montana's congressional delegation shares a similar idea on keeping public lands public, Zinke reintroduced his 'Public Lands in Public Hands Act,' earlier this year with Vasquez, a bill which would ban the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Forest service from selling or transferring 'most public land,' except in specific circumstances. And in Helena, a resolution which would have supported a Utah lawsuit against the federal government seeking to transfer federal land to the state, was defeated in the Legislature on a 33-66 vote. But the issue continues to gain traction. Late Tuesday night, the day before Zinke announced the launch of the new caucus, House Republicans on the Natural Resource Committee approved an amendment that authorizes the sale of thousands of acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah. The proposed sales and exchanges are part of a large budget reconciliation bill that will require a vote before the full House. The lands involved are almost all near the urban areas of Las Vegas, Reno and St. George, Utah, and appear aimed at allowing for affordable housing developments on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land. The move has drawn opposition from Democrats and conservation groups. Tracy Stone-Manning, a Montanan who used to lead the BLM under the Biden administration and is now president of the Wilderness Society, told NPR that the move was the start of a bigger push to transfer federal lands. 'Congress is considering selling off our public lands to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy,' Stone-Manning said. 'What we're seeing from this administration is no balance at all.' During the Public Lands Caucus press conference, reporters asked Zinke about the committee actions, and Zinke responded, according to Politico, by saying he would make it clear to House leadership that he opposed the idea. 'I strongly don't believe (land sales) should be in the reconciliation bill,' Zinke said, though he did not explicitly say that he would oppose the entire reconciliation package as it stands.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heinrich re-introduces gun safety legislation in Congress
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, greets members of the New Mexico Senate after delivering an address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Monday, Feb.17, 2025. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) As firearm-related deaths of young people in New Mexico increase, the state's senior senator in Congress introduced two pieces of legislation on Wednesday intended to address gun violence. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is co-sponsoring the first bill, called the GOSAFE Act, which would regulate the sale, transfer and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms. He introduced the same legislation in 2023. Heinrich is also co-sponsoring another bill, called the BUMP Act, which would ban the sale of 'bump stocks' and other devices or modifications that convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones. 'For too long, Congress has failed to stem the onslaught of mass shootings,' Heinrich said in a statement. 'As a sportsman and gun owner, I'm committed to upholding the laws that protect responsible gun ownership, but we must do more to prevent deadly weapons from reaching those who are all too ready to turn them against our communities.' Heinrich introduced the legislation less than three weeks after a mass shooting in Las Cruces, New Mexico's second-largest city, which left three dead and 15 others injured. Four people have been arrested so far in connection to the shooting, including a 20-year-old and three teenagers, according to local police. Firearm-related deaths among children and teenagers in the U.S. increased by 50% between 2019 and 2023, Stateline reports. In 2023, firearms remained the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row, according to the latest mortality data released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New Mexico, 33 firearm-related deaths occurred among people under 18 in 2023, a 24% increase from 2019, the data show. The state experienced a slight decrease in 2021, but the number of deaths increased in 2022 and 2023, the data show. Youth gun deaths in the US have surged 50% since 2019 Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, applauded Heinrich for introducing the bills in a statement on Tuesday, saying he is 'leading the charge for gun violence prevention in New Mexico and across the country.' 'The GOSAFE Act will help make our communities safer from gun violence,' Viscoli said in a statement. 'These highly lethal firearms have no place in civilian hands.' The BUMP Act, Viscoli added, will 'bolster our legal framework that makes it possible for law enforcement to address the epidemic of violence that New Mexicans have experienced through guns modified to be fully automatic.' A single legislative committee approved a similar proposal to change New Mexico state law in the most recent legislative session, but the bill never received a vote in either chamber of the New Mexico Legislature. Heinrich said the bills represent a continuation of the work Congress did by passing the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which enabled licensed firearms dealers to check FBI records to see if a gun offered for sale was stolen, mandated checks of juvenile criminal history and mental health records of people under 21 trying to buy a gun, and created new crimes for 'straw purchases' of guns on behalf of someone who isn't allowed to have one, among other reforms. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
USA Today
05-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Video: Rep. Gooden rips away 'This is not normal' sign from Rep. Stansbury before Trump's address
Video: Rep. Gooden rips away 'This is not normal' sign from Rep. Stansbury before Trump's address A House Democrat holding a sign protesting President Donald Trump ahead of his Tuesday night address to Congress prompted a confrontation before the speech began. As Trump was greeting lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, held a sign that read 'this is not normal.' While it was unclear whether Trump saw the sign, video shows the president speaking and gesturing with Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas as Stansbury looms in the background. The House Republican then takes action, as footage captured by CSPAN shows Gooden reaching over the aisle to rip the sign out of Stansbury's hands and throw it into the air. 'This is not normal,' 'Save Medicaid': Democrats protest Trump's address with signs Video shows confrontation over 'This is not normal' protest sign of Trump Gooden yanks sign from Stansbury as Trump arrives in Congress Rep. Lance Gooden ripped a sign reading "this is not normal" from Rep. Melanie Stansbury's hands as President Trump entered the chamber. Trump then went on to deliver his first major address since returning to power six week ago – a sharp defense of his "America First" direction for the country. In a lengthy speech surpassing 90 minutes, Trump defended the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers, offered an update after publicly scolding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; and touted the trade war launched against China, Mexico and Canada. Shoutout to DOGE, defending tariffs: Takeaways from Trump's address to Congress Stansbury, Gooden address confrontation on social media Stansbury and Gooden both addressed their confrontation in social media posts following Trump's address. Stansbury recorded a video shared on Instagram while exiting the Capitol elaborating on the succinct message of her sign. Repeating her assertion that "this is not normal," Stansbury alluded to billionaire Elon Musk's efforts under the Department of Government Efficiency to cull the federal workforce, Trump's peace negotiations with Russia and pessimism about the economy. "If you are watching what is happening in Washington right now and are seeing just complete madness, let me tell you, none of this is normal," Stansbury said. "Tonight I think what you saw, Democrats are standing with the American people, we are not going to normalize what's going on right now and we are not going to pretend everything that's happening right now is part of the American democratic process." Gooden fired back in his own posts on social media site X. "Putting the American people FIRST is normal. No one will disrespect President (Trump) in front of me," Gooden said in a post tagging Trump. Democrats protest Trump's address The incident between Stansbury and Gooden occurred early in the night and preceded other dramatic protests that Democrat lawmakers staged during Trump's speech. Representatives were seen holding up black signs with white letters saying: "Save Medicaid," "Musk Steals" and "Protect Veterans," with "False" written on the back. Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, stood and yelled, "You don't have a mandate," before Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson ordered him removed. Green announced in February that he would file articles of impeachment against Trump over 'injustice in Gaza.' "I'll accept the punishment. It's worth it to let people know that there's some of us who are going to stand up to against this president's desire to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security," Green told a media scrum captured by CSPAN. As Trump was complaining about Democratic support, California Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros yelled: "But the stock market," while Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib yelled "save Medicaid." Tlaib was holding a small dry erase board on which she wrote messages including: "no king!" and "that's a LIE!" Democrats left the speech, turning their back on the president to reveal black T-shirts with the word "RESIST" in white letters. Contributing: James Powel, Riley Beggin, USA TODAY Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@
