06/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2025 23:05
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to an opinionissued by the Trump Administration's Department of Justice asserting that Presidents can modifyor revoke national monumentdesignations made usingthe Antiquities Actof 1906. This position contradicts long-held views of the JusticeDepartment dating back to 1938.
"At Donald Trump's order, his Justice Department is attempting to clear a path to erase national monuments.
"Here's what they don't understand: Our national monuments are about who we are. They tell the story of our ancestors, support jobs and our rural economies, and connect Americans to our history and the land itself. No president can erase that.
"I will oppose any attempt by President Trump or Congressional Republicans to rip away our national monuments, using this outrageous path or otherwise. We're ready to fight back - and we won't back down."