In the coming weeks, the Senate is expected to finalize several short-term funding bills worth hundreds of billions of dollars that will keep the government open and fund critical agencies’ programs. Yesterday, a bipartisan letter was sent to Congressional leadership calling for the full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF); however, one name is notably absent: Western Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ).
“Until the LWCF is fully and permanently funded, Sen. McSally is breaking her promise to Arizonans and the American people. She’s exhausted her public lands talking points, and now she’s seemingly refusing to join her fellow Western Senators in calling on Congressional leadership to pass full and permanent funding,” said Jayson O’Neill, Deputy Director of Western Values Project. “Sen. McSally either doesn’t realize what’s at stake – Arizona’s parks, waterways, and outdoor heritage – or she just doesn’t care.”
Despite her pledge to support the LWCF, Sen. McSally’s lack of action means this critical fund will continue to languish with an uncertain bank account. While other Western Senators have signed onto a letter calling on Congressional leadership to act swiftly to fund the LWCF, Sen. McSally, for unclear reasons, opted not to sign this direct call for permanent LWCF funding.
Sen. McSally spent her congressional recess not speaking with constituents or pushing for public lands funding, but rather hiking on trails the LWCF supports and protects.
While Interior Secretary David Bernhardt recently announced $170.6 million in state grants through the LWCF – a fraction of the full and permanent $900 million meant to be appropriated to protect America’s national parks, forests, and waterways – the Trump Administration’s proposed budget has nearly zeroed out the critical parks and public lands fund.
This summer, Western Values Project launched TellDaines.org, TellGardner.org, and TellMcSally.org to highlight the impact of the LWCF in their Western states and the need for these key Western Senators to pass full and permanent funding for the program.