1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Big Bend, The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and the Greater Chaco Region. These are all pristine natural and/or historic areas now damaged or at risk due to the president’s reckless actions. New analysis by the Center for American Progress has found that since January 2025, the Trump administration has acted to collectively eliminate protections from more than 86 million acres of U.S. public lands—an area equivalent to more than 70 Grand Canyons or 38 Yellowstone National Parks! This administration’s attempts to expand extractive development on public lands include rescinding the Public Lands Rule, prioritizing mineral development above other land uses, and implementing the “Big Ugly Bill’s “mandatory lease sales across the West and Alaska. Once again, the president is placing monetary gains for his personal allies and supporters above the environment that the majority of Americans want protected. He has proven time and time again, that he will destroy anything that doesn’t personally benefit him or his cronies. The president continues to erode at environmental protections. The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, known as the “Roadless Rule,” has historically protected intact blocks of national forest lands across the country from road construction, timber harvesting, and other development. But in June 2025, the Department of Agriculture announced the repeal of the rule, eliminating protections from nearly 40 million acres of ecologically important forest. This decision would affect more than 25,000 miles of trails and other recreational opportunities, threaten wildlife habitat, and put millions of Americans’ drinking water at risk. The repeal of the Roadless Rule is deeply unpopular: More than 200,000 comments were submitted in opposition to the rollback during the 21-day comment period. Yet despite this public backlash, the Trump administration is moving forward with this action. Congress needs to halt these actions. Your constituents want our parks, wilderness, and monuments left alone – the president is seeking only funding for himself and his cronies. Once these areas are spoiled, they may never recover. I urge you to work with colleagues to: 1. Publicly condemn these actions. 2. Speak out publicly in favor of preserving these sensitive sites. 3. Work with colleagues to pass protections for national parks and monuments that the president cannot touch. These should be permanent protections. Your constituents demand action to stop these reckless and short-sighted actions.