Department Of Interior Regulations Have Jeopardized U.S. Safety, Say House Republicans

By Antonia Aguilar - University of New Mexico / Talk Radio News

House Representatives Rob Bishop (R-Ut), Doc Hastings (R-WA) and Peter King (R-NY) accused the Department of Interior (DOI) of endangering U.S. citizens by interfering with border protection, during a press briefing on Wednesday to announce new legislation that will better protect U.S. borders.

“The Department of Interior and to a lesser extent the forest service have failed to protect American citizens,” said Bishop. “Their politically correct policies have put American citizens in harm.”

According to the House Natural Resources Committee, current guidelines prohibit border patrol access on federal land making it harder for U.S. border patrol agencies to properly secure 20.7 million acres that are owned by the DOI and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). These policies prohibit border patrol agencies from entering into designated wilderness areas with vehicles and from installing security and communication structures on land that is rumored to be highly used by illegal immigrants.

“We are faced with a terrorist issue, we are faced with an illegal immigration issue and yet we have a cabinet office of the United States government preventing the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol from doing their jobs,” said Peter King.

The proposed legislation will lift current regulations on federal land and allow border patrol agencies free reign to secure all U.S. borders.