This crap drives me nuts. But, I am posting it, as it gives a good picture that is not always reported in the daily news wires/shows. It has to do with the struggle within the Republican party for controlling voice on public land issues. I think the recent mid-term elections have raised public land issues to a point where folks in DC are paying attention.
We all know a continuing spending resolution is going through Congress. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has asked Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) to add the public land provisions to the continuing resolution. In this article, it mentions Montana Senators Tester (D-MT) and Daines (R-MT) as pressuring McConnell to add the lands package. Not as prominent in the article is the fact that other Rs, Burr (R-NC), Murkowski (R-AK), Gardner (R-CO), and Sullivan (R-AK) are pressing. As is Heinrich (D-NM). These are some rather powerful Senators when added as a group.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422188-senators-last-minute-demands-may-delay-funding-bill
In spite of that effort, Mike Lee (R-UT) has held his anti-public land caucus hostage and they are pressuring McConnell to not allow it. McConnell is listening to the Lee contingency and denying any public land add ons. That internal struggle is the important part missing from the article. Lee doesn't give a crap about those Rs who know that they need some good scores on public lands to defend some key seats in 2020.
This is one of the more colorful behind the scenes inter-party struggles I've heard of in a long time. I hope these Rs can convince McConnell to tell Lee to pound sand. And I hope that public lands end up as the winner. If nothing else, it is foreshadow to an upcoming showdown in the Republican Party on public land policy.
If I was putting money on it down in Vegas, the smart money is that Lee has leverage on McConnell and will prevail in his effort to deny these positive public land provisions.
We all know a continuing spending resolution is going through Congress. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has asked Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) to add the public land provisions to the continuing resolution. In this article, it mentions Montana Senators Tester (D-MT) and Daines (R-MT) as pressuring McConnell to add the lands package. Not as prominent in the article is the fact that other Rs, Burr (R-NC), Murkowski (R-AK), Gardner (R-CO), and Sullivan (R-AK) are pressing. As is Heinrich (D-NM). These are some rather powerful Senators when added as a group.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/422188-senators-last-minute-demands-may-delay-funding-bill
In spite of that effort, Mike Lee (R-UT) has held his anti-public land caucus hostage and they are pressuring McConnell to not allow it. McConnell is listening to the Lee contingency and denying any public land add ons. That internal struggle is the important part missing from the article. Lee doesn't give a crap about those Rs who know that they need some good scores on public lands to defend some key seats in 2020.
This is one of the more colorful behind the scenes inter-party struggles I've heard of in a long time. I hope these Rs can convince McConnell to tell Lee to pound sand. And I hope that public lands end up as the winner. If nothing else, it is foreshadow to an upcoming showdown in the Republican Party on public land policy.
If I was putting money on it down in Vegas, the smart money is that Lee has leverage on McConnell and will prevail in his effort to deny these positive public land provisions.
.
