Local Issues

The oath taken by every FBI Agent is not to fight crime, uphold the laws, stop terrorists, or protect the country or its government. Certainly they do all these things, but the ONLY oath an FBI agent takes is to “Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States.”

I want to thank Congressman Gohmert for organizing this discussion of federal lands policy, and to highlight the Federal Footprint Map at Naturalresources.house.gov/federalfootprint. Or just google Federal Footprint. When you do, you’ll have a complete picture of how much land the federal government owns and how much of your state and your community is affected. And it may surprise you.

In 431 BC, the people of Athens gathered just as we gather today – and for the same purpose – to honor their fallen. It was the first year of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles – the father of Athenian Democracy – spoke that day. According to Thucydides, most of his oration was about Athens, in sentiments we would find familiar as Americans.

Today the Subcommittee on Federal Lands meets to consider draft legislation to require federal land use agencies to more closely consult and cooperate with local governments that are directly affected by their decisions. The three overarching objectives of this subcommittee bear repeating: to restore public access to the public lands; to restore proper management to the public lands and to restore the federal government as a good neighbor to the communities directly affected by the public lands

Remarks by Congressman Tom McClintock Yosemite National Park April 23, 2016