The battle over Nevada’s land is heating up again. Democrats are fighting to keep the federal government in control of nearly all of it.
For those who don’t know, about 80% of Nevada’s land is controlled by Washington, D.C. That means the people who live, work, and raise families in Nevada have little say over what happens to the land around them.
Instead, bureaucrats in DC call the shots. It’s ridiculous.
But here’s the good news: Rep. Mark Amodei, Nevada’s only Republican in Congress, is pushing back.
He has long criticized the president’s power to just grab land and call it a “national monument” without getting approval from Congress or the people who actually live in the state.
He even proposed a law that would require a president to get congressional approval before designating new monuments. That’s just common sense.
The latest fight started when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, appointed by President Trump, announced a review of national monument designations across the country.
This review could lead to shrinking the massive, federally controlled areas that block mining, oil production, and other economic opportunities in Nevada.
Democrats, of course, are losing their minds.
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen – along with Reps. Susie Lee, Dina Titus, and Steven Horsford – sent a letter demanding that the administration leave things alone.
They claimed that Nevadans overwhelmingly support keeping these national monuments exactly as they are.
Really? Because it sure seems like Nevadans would rather have more say over their own land instead of letting D.C. politicians and out-of-state environmental groups decide for them.
One of the biggest concerns is Gold Butte National Monument, which President Obama designated in 2016.
This massive area northeast of Las Vegas was put off-limits for most development, despite the fact that Nevada could benefit from using some of this land for economic growth and housing development.
Another area that’s in the spotlight is Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, a 500,000-acre site that Biden locked up in 2023, supposedly for conservation and Native American heritage reasons.
But let’s be honest – this was more about pleasing radical environmentalists than actually helping Nevadans.
Governor Joe Lombardo opposed the designation at the time, recognizing that Nevada needs to be able to develop more of its own land. But now, Democrats are claiming that changing the monument’s status would be an insult to Nevadans.
Seriously? The real insult is keeping Nevadans from using their own land to create jobs and build affordable housing.
Environmental groups are, of course, backing the Democrats on this. They always do.
Groups like the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition argue that these land grabs were carefully considered and have widespread public support.
But if that were true, why are so many Nevadans frustrated by the lack of available land for development?
The truth is simple: keeping the federal government in charge of Nevada’s land isn’t about conservation – it’s about control.
These massive land designations mean fewer opportunities for responsible development, fewer jobs, and higher housing costs.
Meanwhile, California and other liberal states keep growing and developing their land as they see fit. Why should Nevada be treated any differently?
Democrats will likely try to stall or block any effort to scale back these national monuments. That’s what they do.
But Trump’s administration proved it can be done – they’re reducing monument sizes in Utah despite the same kind of pushback.
The big question is: Will Nevadans stand with Mark Amodei and fight for more control over their own land, or will they let D.C. keep calling the shots?
One thing is for sure – Democrats aren’t interested in giving Nevadans more freedom. They’re only interested in keeping power exactly where they want it: in Washington, D.C.
It’s time to take Nevada’s land back from the feds. And Rep. Amodei is one of the few in Washington fighting to make that happen.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
