Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which will stop the Federal land grab happening in my district by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

My amendment will prohibit funds from being used to implement the horrible, proposed rule to list the Texas kangaroo rat as endangered.

Under its proposed rule the Fish and Wildlife Service will designate 600,000 acres as critical habitat across five counties in my district.

This decision is a massive overreach by the Federal Government that will simultaneously harm the farmers and ranchers in my district which, by the way, is the number one ag district in the State, and it will simultaneously crush the struggling oil and gas industry.

The State of Texas has long been committed to promoting and protecting our wildlife and natural habitats through voluntary conservation efforts that balance responsible stewardship and economic development.

This horribly flawed rule proposal is a completely unnecessary action from the Biden administration as the State of Texas has already taken the initiative to preserve the Texas kangaroo rat.

Action has already been taken to address the conservation needs of the species while accounting for the unique needs of landowners in north Texas, which results in thousands of acres of land already being utilized to conserve the species without punishing private citizens or the ag and energy sectors.

Unfortunately, the always radical Biden administration decided to ignore the ongoing efforts and impose unnecessary and aggressive Federal interference. The Fish and Wildlife Services endangered listing of the Texas kangaroo rat will have drastic ramifications on the farming and ranching industry in Texas. If this proposed rule goes into effect, agriculture producers in my district could be subject to civil and criminal penalties handed out by radical Biden administration officials who will stop at nothing to advance its Green New Deal agenda, meaning farmers and ranchers could face up to 1 year imprisonment and tens of thousands of dollars in fines for accidental or even perceived injury of a Texas kangaroo rat or its habitat.

The Texas kangaroo rat can only thrive when there is sparse, short grasses and small stubble which is exactly what our farmers and ranchers provide when grazing cattle.

The farming and ranching industries are the backbone of our unique Texas history, heritage, and economy. Unfortunately, the heavy hand of the Federal bureaucracy, once again, is looking to destroy that.

If this proposed rule goes into effect, it will significantly restrict the way our ranchers can use their land, setting a dangerous precedent of Federal overreach into agriculture production that will have far-reaching consequences for not only Texas but our entire Nation.

The agriculture industry is already being hit with rising costs due to the historic inflation caused by ``Bidenomics'', and this new rule will only intensify these struggles.

Texas has a proud history of responsible land management and conservation, and for any effort to succeed, it must be driven by local communities rather than bureaucrats in Washington.

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Mr. JACKSON of Texas. Madam Chair, there are no better stewards of the land and the animals in Texas than the farmers and ranchers in Texas' 13th Congressional District. We do not need the Federal Government telling us how to accomplish this.

Madam Chair, I appreciate having the support of all of my colleagues, I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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