DOJ argues Trump may cancel Biden-era national monuments

The Justice Department says President Donald Trump has the close to abolish nationalist monuments established by erstwhile President Joe Biden astatine the petition of Native American tribes.

In the last days of his presidency, Biden established the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument to support hundreds of thousands of acres of onshore successful California. According to Reuters, the Chuckwalla National Monument protects implicit 624,000 acres, portion the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument protects 224,000 acres.

A motion is acceptable up up of President Joe Biden's sojourn to the Chuckwalla National Monument, Jan. 7, 2025, to the Coachella Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

TRUMP DOJ INVESTIGATING BIDEN-ERA PARDONS AMID CONCERNS OVER STATE OF MIND

The monuments could suffer their presumption aft a Trump DOJ ineligible sentiment reversed a 1938 determination that presidents did not person the powerfulness to abolish monuments designated by erstwhile presidents nether the Antiquities Act of 1906. 

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lanora Pettit argued successful the sentiment that "for the Antiquities Act, the powerfulness to state carries with it the powerfulness to revoke."

In his archetypal term, Trump reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments successful Utah, according to the Associated Press. The outlet noted that Trump claimed the monuments were a "massive onshore grab." However, Biden aboriginal restored them during his word successful office.

Then-President Joe Biden wears a ceremonial sash arsenic helium attends an lawsuit held to found the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sattitla Highlands National Monument successful California, astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2025.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

BIDEN SAYS HE'S BEEN CARRYING OUT ‘MOST AGGRESSIVE CLIMATE AGENDA’ IN HISTORY AS HE DESIGNATES CA MONUMENTS

The DOJ’s opinion, which was released connected Tuesday, has already drawn backlash arsenic Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., slammed the Trump administration.

"At Donald Trump’s order, his Justice Department is attempting to wide a way to erase nationalist monuments," said Heinrich, who serves arsenic the ranking subordinate of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. "Here’s what they don’t understand: Our nationalist monuments are astir who we are. They archer the communicative of our ancestors, enactment jobs and our agrarian economies, and link Americans to our past and the onshore itself. No president tin erase that."

Heinrich besides vowed to reason Republican efforts "to rip distant our nationalist monuments."

Then-President Joe Biden signs a proclamation establishing Chuckwalla National Monument, astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2025.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

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In the ineligible opinion, Pettit wrote that Biden’s designation of the caller monuments was portion of a larger effort to make an biology bequest for himself. She besides appeared to discredit Biden’s reasons for designating the sites arsenic nationalist monuments, including the instauration of much places for outdoor recreational activities, similar biking, hiking, hunting and camping.

"Such activities are wholly expected successful a park, but they are wholly unrelated to (if not outright incompatible with) the extortion of technological oregon humanities monuments," Pettit wrote.

There is nary wide denotation if oregon erstwhile Trump would revoke the presumption of the 2 sites established by Biden—or the presumption of immoderate different monuments. However, according to Reuters, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields spoke astir the request to "liberate our national lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal, and mineral leasing" erstwhile asked astir the opinion.