Niki Tsongas: “The underlying bill presented before us today is problematic for many reasons, as my Democratic colleagues on the…”

“The underlying bill presented before us today is problematic for many reasons, as my Democratic colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee have very clearly outlined on the floor this afternoon. The Antiquities Act has served our country for well over 100 years and has been used by 16 Presidents to designate over 140 national monuments, many of them protecting American military heritage. To date, Presidents and Congress have designated 22 military sites as national monuments. One of the many unintended consequences of this legislation is that it would prevent the President from protecting important military cultural and historical sites under the Antiquities Act. As someone who grew up on military bases both across the country and overseas, I know firsthand the tremendous sacrifices that our servicemembers and their families make on behalf of our Nation. My father was a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument is just one example of a monument that was designated by Presidential authority under the Antiquities Act. My amendment preserves the ability of the President to declare as national monuments those that provide for the ``protection or conservation of historic or cultural resources related to American military history,'' regardless of their size.…”