Protecting Wildlife Should Not Become Partisan Power Grab

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA). House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"Protecting our wildlife is a noble goal - I can't think of a single person, Republican or Democrat, who doesn't want to see America's rich diversity of species thrive. Unfortunately, House Democrats have hijacked RAWA and turned it into legislation that hemorrhages taxpayer dollars with no way to pay for it and no end in sight. I've stayed at the negotiating table for months, actively working to make this a bipartisan bill that members on both sides of the aisle could wholeheartedly support. This is why I'm even more disappointed to see that Republican good-faith efforts to resolve the fiscal issues have been cut short by the majority. To make matters worse, the majority dropped in a new title out of thin air with no Republican input that would take power away from the states and create more federal bureaucracy in D.C. All of these actions have created a regrettably flawed bill, one I wish I could support but cannot in its current form. I remain ready and willing to negotiate and turn RAWA back into the bipartisan bill it deserves to be."

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