Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a lifelong hunter and recreational fisherman in support of my bill, H.R. 615, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act. Mr. Speaker, our hunters and anglers are really the backbone of this Nation. They are the contributors that put a tremendous amount of resources into protecting the resources that we all enjoy. Why would we want to restrict their access? America is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. These refuges belong to the American people. Why wouldn't we want them to use them to the maximum utility for everybody, not just for a small group that decides that they want to go to court? The Trump administration opened up 2.3 million acres of the refuge system for the owners of the system. That makes some sense, doesn't it? In response, anti-fishing and hunting groups sued, claiming lead ammunition and tackle would negatively impact endangered species in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Certainly, there are limited instances where one can show an association there, but not carte blanche. We wouldn't just say we are going to close the whole thing down because of some isolated incidents. In 2022, the Biden administration reached a settlement and pretty much said they were going to go forward with the lead ban for fishing tackle and ammunition.…”