Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``No'' on rollcall No. 453. Amendment No. 78 Offered by Mr. Gosar
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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment that will reaffirm Congress' support for the enforcement of grazing fees on public lands.

Grazing on public lands is a privilege, not a right. Ranchers who use these lands should abide by the law and pay their fair share. My amendment simply confirms that grazing permits or leases should not be issued to anyone who does not comply with BLM regulations.

Mr. Chairman, revenues from grazing fees go toward the management, maintenance, and improvement of public range land. The mass majority of ranchers are upstanding, responsible Americans. They understand the importance of these efforts and pay their fees on time.

But some ranchers are outright refusing to pay their grazing fees. That is completely unacceptable.

To be clear, my amendment does not penalize people for forgetting to repair a fence or neglecting to make a payment once or twice. Instead, this amendment will ensure that egregious violations of grazing regulations are not financed by the American taxpayer.

One particular rancher, who is well known to the media, continues to be more than $1 million in arrears. He has ignored the executive and judicial branches of our government, expanding his herds further on to Federal lands.

While continuing to violate the law, he put the lives of local and Federal officials at stake during a dangerous standoff, for which he was indicted by a grand jury on charges including assaulting and threatening Federal officers. We are only now beginning to see the full extent of the damage he has caused to public lands as a result of this confrontation and his unauthorized grazing.

Mr. Chairman, my friends on the other side of the aisle talk a lot about upholding the law, yet they responded with silence, or even support, when this particular rancher and others brazenly broke our laws and put the lives of BLM officers at risk in an armed standoff.

Mr. Chairman, I can't help but notice a double standard in Republicans' support for ranchers who refuse to pay their fair share and Republican criticism of Americans who refuse to accept injustice in their communities.

This amendment offers my Republican friends the opportunity to stand up against those who have broken our laws with impunity. It sends a clear signal that egregious violations of grazing regulations will not be financed by the American taxpayer, and it projects a clear message of support to the BLM officers who demonstrated discretion and restraint in the handling of the ranchers' protests.

Mr. Chairman, let's pass this amendment and uphold the basic principle that our laws should be applied fairly to everyone who lives in this country and uses its public lands.

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Mr. GALLEGO. I yield to the gentleman from California.

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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