Ranchers Call House Legislation a “Reckless Land Grab”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association called Wednesday a “sad day for public lands and the American taxpayer.”

Kaitlynn Glover, Executive Director of Natural Resources for NCBA as well as Executive Director of the Public Lands Council said House passage of the Great American Outdoors Act shows representatives “have chosen to willingly relinquish their responsibility to engage in important land conservation decisions far into the future.”

The NCBA said the bill will allow for virtually unrestricted spending for lands and waters across the U.S. that will be added to a federal estate that is already in disrepair.

“The 310 members of the House that supported the bill sentenced these lands to a bleak future, complete with the expectation that these lands will be added to the deferred maintenance backlog in a not-so-distant future,” said Glover. “The ranching community is asking President Trump to veto this reckless excuse for a land management bill.”

The GAO Act gives government agencies free rein to spend a minimum of $360 million every year in Land and Water Conservation Fund money to acquire new private land without any oversight from Congress.

The Senate passed the GAO Act in June of 2020.

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