Posted on 04/29/2014 4:25:46 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
The Bureau of Land Management doesn’t need its own heavily armed police force, Rep. Chris Stewart said Tuesday, referencing the recent standoff between federal agents and a civilian militia siding with Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.
Stewart, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, says he’s going to try and cut funding for any "paramilitary units" and require the BLM, Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory agencies to rely on local law enforcement rather than their own armed crews.
"There are lots of people who are really concerned when the BLM shows up with its own SWAT team," the Utah Republican said off the House floor Tuesday, noting that land managers aren’t the only government agents with serious firepower. "They’re regulatory agencies; they’re not paramilitary units, and I think that concerns a lot of us."
The BLM sent dozens of law enforcement officials to help with security surrounding the roundup of Bundy’s cattle after a court ordered their seizure in a 20-year-long dispute about grazing rights. Bundy doesn’t recognize federal control of the public lands near his ranch where he lets his cattle roam; two federal judges have disagreed and upheld more than $1 million in fines and fees against Bundy.
Faced with a small army of Bundy supporters, many with guns, the BLM backed off and released the cattle in hopes of finding a nonviolent solution to the dispute.
Stewart, who insists he isn’t taking sides in the Bundy showdown, says he was shocked to see the government’s response and believes it led to the civilian militia that showed up to defend the rancher. But Stewart says agencies such as the BLM should defer to local police for muscle instead of bringing in their own.
"They should do what anyone else would do," Stewart said. "Call the local sheriff,...
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
“You have a way with words! I wonder...is this one of the last times we will ever hear a congress person mention this.”
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Probably, and thank you.
Good luck trying to put the genie back in the bottle, Rep Stewart.
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