I have given you ample time and I simply asked you a question about the private jet trip to Vegas.
Maria Cantwell
The Public Record
Maria Ellen Cantwell is a United States Senator from Washington, serving since January 3, 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been actively involved in various legislative efforts, particularly focusing on technology, environmental issues, and healthcare. Throughout her tenure, Cantwell has worked on policies aimed at promoting clean energy and protecting the environment, as well as advocating for affordable healthcare access for all Americans.
President Trump and Secretary Zinke have abandoned the responsibility of stewardship of our public lands and undermined the public trust.
I do believe that when you removed part of Utah's monument that is now going to be open to ideas of mining claims and uranium development and off-road ATV, you did take an inch of public land out of that use.
The President's budget proposal for 2019, again, abdicates responsibility for stewardship of our natural resources and public good.
I think the thing that I would say deserves a major infrastructure investment is anything that can take the existing sources of water and use them more resiliently.
I'm very concerned that this will result in more local tolls, fare increases, rate hikes, and taxes, and it's not clear what local communities will get in return.
Why cut at a time when water is becoming such a major focus for us on the kinds of resiliency programs that are helping our Western states deal with the impact?
the Trump Administration has overseen an attack on our public lands and on our nation's strong conservation ethic that, I believe, is unprecedented.
this budget and Secretary Zinke's actions, I think, represent an abandonment of the Secretary's stewardship responsibility of our public resource.
The staffing and budget cuts at our national parks also, combined with similar budget cuts at virtually all non-energy programs within the Interior, show the Administration's failure to recognize the importance of the outdoor recreation…
Your proposal would increase the park entrance fee and cost visitors to these parks an additional $215 million a year.
I believe these actions will ultimately be overturned as unlawful exercises of Presidential or Secretarial power.
I am, Madam Chair, disappointed at this budget proposal and the actions of this Administration as it relates to these important issues.
We definitely think we should be increasing access, not disincentivizing it.
we are going to be continuing to ask about the Administration's Arctic priorities to ensure that this does continue to be viewed as an area of focus, not only from the budget perspective, but in terms of national priorities.
These increases imposed on American's public lands are also in sharp contrast to the millions of dollars of royalty reductions that the Secretary is proposing for oil and gas and coal companies.
Secretary Zinke assured us during his confirmation hearing that he would manage the Interior Department like a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist.
The crisis turned into a $200 million Federal problem and became a prime example of the need to invest upfront in the ability of cities and states to provide essential services to their residents.
Rather than having the Federal Government step up as a reliable partner, President Trump's plan continues the problem by once again passing the buck.
We would like to see that be more than just a bill. We would like to see it be law and to put in place some of these protections that we have been working on so hard.
I know you and I keep hoping that there will be some cybersecurity legislation that moves through the Full Congress as it has already moved through the Senate.
And we are dead serious that we have to come up with a threat assessment and work through it.
We have been pushing for over a year now asking for a threat assessment to our electricity grid.
Cybersecurity is now more significant to our national security than terrorism.





