could Hairy Reed have had ..ANYTHING to do with this bill?
Posted on 12/03/2014 1:45:32 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday called for his colleagues to reject an annual defense bill because of the “extreme land grab” tacked onto the measure.
The bipartisan proposed bill, released late Tuesday, includes a variety of public land and energy provisions, including designating new national parks and wilderness areas, and speeding the permitting process for oil and gas drilling, and energy and mineral measures.
Cruz called the provisions and the decision to attach them to the National Defense Authorization Act “an extreme land grab to the NDAA [that] is a disservice to members of the Armed Forces.”
“With the military’s shrinking budget, it is offensive that this bill would be used to fund congressional pork,” Cruz, a top subject of speculation for the 2016 presidential election, said in a statement Wednesday.
“And, at a time where jobs are scarce, and the federal government has removed billions of acres of land from productive use, Congress should not be restricting more than a half-million new acres,” he said.
Cruz’s statement focused on the conservation aspects of the public land package, including 250,000 acres of new wilderness designations; 400,000 acres of land taken out of commercial use; and 15 new national parks or park expansions.
The defense bill is considered must-pass legislation, as it authorizes Defense Department operations.
Cruz asked the House and Senate to reject the bill, which he called an attempt by “self-serving politicians” to exploit service members.
The top senators from both parties who are responsible for the defense bill defended it Wednesday.
“Hopefully, people will be persuaded that this is a bipartisan, [Energy and Natural Resources] Committee package, bicameral, that has been thoroughly vetted by the committee, and will not object to its passage,” said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
“It’s hard to get things done around here, and it’s not the ideal way to legislation, obviously,” he added, noting that the Energy panel supports the package.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the Armed Services Committee’s top Republican, said he agreed with Republicans who oppose the land provisions but defended them as necessary to passing the defense measure.
“It’s outrageous,” he said. “I dislike it just as much as anybody else. But you have to have a bill. That’s what people lose sight of.”
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said the move is not out of the ordinary.
“As it has traditionally done, this year's annual national defense bill contains natural resources provisions that are the result of a bipartisan agreement,” Hastings said in a statement.
“The agreement offers a balanced approach to public lands management, providing opportunities for new job creation and energy and mineral production, while simultaneously protecting special areas,” he said.
Cruz is providing the leadership in the void left by the cowardly GOPe.
It really makes the neo-nobility mad that the peasants own land.
Ted Cruz is a leader.
Carl Lenin is a demonicrat party hack.
Isn’t Combover Carl retiring in Jan? (only 36 yrs in the senate LOL)
Amazed that he’s not the typical senator desiring to go direct from the Capitol building to the mortuary.
Ted Cruz, Leader of the Republican Senate, True Statesman!
1) Carl Levin who has a career spanning decades and very little (if any) productive efforts to show for it and
2) A bill to appropriate funds for defense including elements of national parks and oil drilling.
Every time congress convenes it is time to take another serious look at the Enumerated Powers Act proposed by John Shadegg of Arizona.
The Enumerated Powers Act is a proposed bill in the United States House of Representatives which requires that legislation passed by Congress cite those provisions of the Constitution that give them the power to pass such legislation. The bill has been proposed by Congressman John Shadegg in every Congress since the 104th, and frequently draws many co-sponsors. It has never been passed. However, at the beginning of the 105th Congress, significant portions of the bill were adopted into House rules. The bill also calls for looking back at past bills for possible nullification if they cannot be proven constitutionally solid.
1. National Defense Authorization Act ,
2. authorizes Defense Department operations.
Which is ALL it Should do, Nothing Else.
Now what exactly does this have to do with “National Defense”??
“250,000 acres of new wilderness designations; 400,000 acres of land taken out of commercial use; and 15 new national parks or park expansions.”
They Cannot take care of the Land They control today, and it should Belong to the STATES!!
“the Energy panel supports the package” Who Cares?? Abolish this Useless Agency!!
That’s right, it is because “As it has traditionally done”
Which is the Problem.
DUMP MCCONNELL
Truth is fast becoming a criminal offense.
It is safer for the president to be a high criminal, than for a senator to call him so.
Pure BS.
The government does NEED any more land.
In fact, the government isn’t supposed to have much land that it isn’t distributing back to the states in the first place.
If we ever get around to an Article V convention, one amendment I would like to see is a limit on the land that the Federal government may own to 10% of the total land mass of the state.
Ted Cruz rocks
"Leading Republicans Doc Hastings and Lisa Murkowski have also touted the package as a balance of land restrictions and development."
If this is such a great idea, supported by a majority, why tuck it into a defense authorization bill, hidden from the eyes of the public????
It is a travesty that Ted Cruz isn’t going to be Majority Leader in a couple of months.
I swear he is the only one in that Frat House that understands the Constitution, and has the guts to stand up to defend it, and us peasants.
Similar thread:
Congress’ Sneaky Tactic to Grab More Land for the Government
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3233121/posts
10% is way too generous.
I would limit it to 1% That would allow over 30,000 sq miles for the Feds.
Yeah, I like that myself...
CA....
They aren’t cowards. They are complicit elitists. DINOS/RINOS, all communists who want it all, but want us to have nothing.
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