Martin Heinrich: “This is my first hearing as chairman of this subcommittee, and I am looking forward to a good discussion on the fiscal…”

I want to say, from the bottom of my heart, as somebody who truly believes in the value and the importance of public lands and wilderness: thank you all for protecting this very special place.

This doesn’t change the fact that Congress never authorized spending YOUR hard-earned taxpayer dollars on Trump’s golden ballroom.

But as the National Park Service celebrates 110 years, our parks face a $24 billion maintenance backlog and severe staffing shortages.

I come from a mining family. I'm not against every mine everywhere. My dad worked for Anaconda Copper, and my grandfather was a gold miner. But I learned, negotiating with big companies over natural resource damages, that there are smart…