Beto O'Rourke: “Today marks the 111th anniversary of the Antiquities Act. Over more than a century, Presidents of both parties have…”

“Today marks the 111th anniversary of the Antiquities Act. Over more than a century, Presidents of both parties have preserved and opened to the public over 157 monuments, like the Grand Canyon by President Theodore Roosevelt, or Zion in Utah by President William Howard Taft, or the Pacific National Monument in Hawaii by President George W. Bush. It is also connected to our economy and jobs, with 7 million jobs in the United States connected to outdoor recreation in our national monuments. While this administration is reviewing certain monuments, we need to protect the ones that we already have, like Organ Mountains National Monument in New Mexico, or Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. We also need to think about expanding national monuments where we have heritage that we want to preserve, like Castner Range, that preserves 10,000 years of human history and civilization in El Paso, Texas, where the United States and Mexico meet. Mr. Speaker, let's work together to strengthen the Antiquities Act and not diminish its protections. ____________________”