Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"It's very telling that the administration chose to roll out their budget more than three months behind schedule on a Friday before a holiday weekend, right when many people are traveling, spending time with family and not focusing on their inboxes. It's a theme we've continued to see this year, despite committee Republicans' repeated requests for transparency and bipartisan action on these issues. The Biden administration has made many of their priorities clear, like eliminating good-paying jobs, weakening American energy security, permanently locking up our lands, and more. While this administration uses vague platitudes in an attempt to demonstrate a commitment to the environment, the facts don't lie: these are policies that are bad for our economy, bad for conservation goals and bad for Americans. I look forward to discussing their misguided policies with Secretary Haaland when she testifies before our committee."