On Jan. 3, the 119th Congress convened following elections where the Republican Party maintained narrow control of the House of Representatives, flipped the Senate from Democratic control, and gained control of the White House. Despite a struggle with members of his caucus, Mike Johnson (R-LA) was reelected as Speaker of the House. And John Thune (R-SD) was selected as the new Senate Majority Leader.

Leadership in committees central to Backcountry Hunters and Angler's (BHA) mission have undergone a number of changes, particularly the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which is now under significantly contrasted leadership; The committee is led by Chairman Mike Lee (R-UT), who has long disparaged and sought to undermine our public lands heritage, and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), who has been a consistent and vocal supporter of the value public lands have for sportsmen and women. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will now be led by Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and the new Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Meanwhile, the House Natural Resources Committee will continue to be led by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) with the new Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA).

House Rules and Public Land Sales

The first order of business for the House was to pass a rules package which establishes legislative procedures for the 119th Congress. Included in that package is the continuation of a rule instituted by Republican leadership in 2023, and previously in 2017, that would make it easier to sell or transfer federal public lands by removing any monetary consideration of their worth to the American public. This is intended to create the illusion that disposal of these lands does not come as a financial loss, thus streamlining misguided legislative proposals that benefit special interests over the American people - as was the case with the infamous Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act sponsored by former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) in 2017, ultimately abandoned after facing tremendous public backlash including from BHA.

BHA strongly opposed this rule and continues to oppose any attempt to obscure the value of public lands to all Americans or streamline the privatization of these cherished public resources.

Alarmingly, as congressional Republicans plan a budget reconciliation bill (a procedure with limited scope that can be used to circumvent the filibuster in the Senate allowing partisan legislation to pass both chambers of Congress with a simple majority vote), not only do they intend to require increased oil and gas leasing, mineral development, and timber sales, they are also considering the direct sale of public lands, as shown by internal documents.

Following this, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) shared with reporters that he told Speaker Mike Johnson he would not support a budget reconciliation bill that disposed of public lands. Republican leadership can afford to lose only a handful of votes.

Senate Considers Cabinet Nominees

Among the first actions in the Senate with a new administration are hearings to proceed with confirming the President’s cabinet nominees. On Jan. 16, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing for Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota. You can read BHA’s statement on his nomination as Secretary of the Interior.

Burgum's stated support of our hunting and angling traditions is critically important. Sportsmen and women must remind him of the immense value public lands managed by Interior have for fish and wildlife habitat, public access, and the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy. Burgum has expressed personal admiration for President Theodore Roosevelt, and we must make clear the importance of balancing conservation with the responsible development of our natural resources as he wishes to emulate that legacy. Burgum has not signaled support for the disposal of public lands, though under his tenure as Governor the North Dakota Attorney General joined Utah's anti-public lands lawsuit without comment from Burgum.

On Jan. 23, the committee voted 18-2 during a business meeting to advance Gov. Burgum's nomination, which now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

President Trump - Day One

On Jan. 20, President Trump was sworn in as the 47^th President of the United States. That afternoon he issued numerous executive orders including one strongly condemned by BHA, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Energy Potential. Included in the order are provisions that pose significant threats to more than 50 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including: 

• Targeting oil and gas leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 
• Reversing the decision by the BLM to deny permitting for the Ambler Road 
• Reversing protections for 13 million acres of designated Special Areas in the Western Arctic 
• Expediting development of a road through a designated wilderness in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 
• Revoking the conservation status of 28 million acres of public lands that have been withdrawn from development since 1971 
• Reinstating the Alaska Roadless Rule which will strip protections from more than 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest 

Another executive order issued on the first day of the administration, Unleashing American Energy, contains directives strongly opposed by BHA that would reassess all withdrawals of public lands from mineral development and oil and gas leasing. While not targeted by name like the Alaska landscapes, this executive order threatens the conservation of iconic landscapes including Minnesota's Boundary Waters, Colorado's Thompson Divide, New Mexico's Pecos River Watershed, and Nevada's Ruby Mountains.

While BHA is seeking opportunities to engage collaboratively with the Trump administration on policies that impact hunters and anglers, we remain cognizant that a number of policies advanced under his previous tenure directly targeted the integrity and conservation of our public lands and waters and we anticipate their return.

With both the 119^th Congress and the second Trump administration underway, BHA is working to ensure the conservation of our public lands and the future of our hunting and fishing traditions. We have already begun reaching out to the new party leaders, committee leadership, freshman members, and other key individuals in Congress and in the new administration. You can visit our action center to find out more about legislation BHA is engaged in, who your elected officials are, and to how to take action.

We hope you will take action early and often to share the importance of our public lands heritage with your elected officials at this critical time!