Mr. Speaker, today I rise to raise an issue that would ``shock the conscience.'' Those are not my words. Those are the words of a distinguished Federal judge when he refused to sentence two ranchers in my district to 5 years in prison. Judge Hogan looked at the case and he said: That is not right. It would ``shock the conscience.'' This Friday, the younger of those two ranchers will mark his fourth year in prison for starting a fire--by the way, fire on the range, high desert, is a management tool. They were using it for that purpose. They were tried. They were convicted. They never should have been sentenced to this. The Obama administration came back and resentenced them to 5 years for 139 acres. We burn hundreds of thousands of acres every year. The government starts fires that burn onto private land. Nothing seems to happen. It is time for the President to review this situation and to grant a pardon to Steven and Dwight Hammond, pull them back together with their families. They have served long enough. This is an issue that shocks the conscience. It is time for real justice, and President Trump can administer that. ____________________
Share & report
More from Greg Walden
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 6096, the READI Act. This legislation will help improve the Federal Communications Commission's oversight over the wireless and broadcast emergency alert…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New Mexico. I think it is worth pointing out that this probably won't make a lot of coverage in national media, but he chaired the Democratic…
Mr. Speaker, I thank all my colleagues who came down tonight to share these words. I want to assure the American people--it feels like a eulogy--I am actually still alive but deeply indebted for their generosity, their kindness, and their…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3361. This is the Reliable Investment in Vital Energy Reauthorization Act. This legislation was introduced by my colleagues on the Energy and…





