Press Releases
Ranking Member Huffman Blasts Trump Cabinet’s Illegal Gutting of Endangered Species Protections to Benefit Big Oil Donors
Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Trump administration's Endangered Species Committee voted to exempt all oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act protections: "The grotesque pay-to-play pageantry that unfolded today was, thankfully, so clearly illegal that it will not stand. But that should not temper the disgust and outrage of every American who cares … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Natural Resources Democrats Force Vote to Subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Over $670 Million Taxpayer-Funded Deal
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on the critical minerals supply chain, Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) forced a vote to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. to testify under oath about his financial stake in Vulcan Elements and how he potentially benefited from insider influence after his father, President Trump, funneled over $670 million taxpayer dollars into the company. Vulcan Elements, a rare earth startup, received a $620 million … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Huffman, 52 House Democrats Call on Appropriators to Defund Trump's Censorship of American History at National Parks
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) led 52 other House Democrats in calling on House appropriators to block funding for Secretarial Order 3431, the Trump administration directive that has led to the removal of historical exhibits and educational materials about slavery, Indigenous peoples, and climate change from national parks and public lands across America. In a letter to Chair Mike Simpson and Ranking Member Chellie Pingree of the House Appropriations … Continue Reading
March 18, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Opposes GOP Bill to Block Lead Protections on Public Lands: "Our Public Lands Belong to the American People, Not the NRA"
Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) took to the House Floor to oppose H.R. 556, Republican and NRA-backed legislation that would block federal land managers from restricting lead ammunition and fishing tackle on public lands and waters, even when science shows lead is killing wildlife. “We are on day 19 of Trump's illegal war of choice with Iran. 13 American service members so far are dead, 200 more are wounded. Gas prices have … Continue Reading
March 18, 2026
Huffman Blasts $40 Million in Taxpayer Funds for Illegal Shasta Dam Raise
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Department of the Interior announced $40 million in taxpayer funds for planning and preconstruction activities to raise Shasta Dam. “The proposal to raise Shasta Dam is a stubbornly unlawful, wasteful, and destructive boondoggle that refuses to die, and it is past time we bury it for good. It is illegal under California law. Raising Shasta Dam has been blocked by state courts, opposed by … Continue Reading
March 16, 2026
Huffman Statement on Trump Handing Sacred Apache Land to Foreign Mining Giants in $150 Billion Giveaway
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after President Trump transferred Oak Flat, a National Historic Site sacred to multiple Apache tribes, to multinational mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP: “Foreign mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP got exactly what they paid for with this administration. President Trump handed them a sacred Apache site to destroy, greenlighted a deal that sends American copper to China, and the American people won’t … Continue Reading
March 13, 2026
Reps. Huffman, Min, Lawler, and Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve E-Bike Safety
Washington, D.C. — Today, Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), Dave Min (CA-47), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) introduced the Safe Standards for Personal E-Bike and E-Moto Device Specifications Act (Safe SPEEDS Act) to establish a comprehensive federal regulatory standard for e-bikes and other electric micromobility products. This bill will strengthen consumer protections, improve accountability in the e-micromobility market, and support local efforts to reduce crashes … Continue Reading
March 09, 2026
Huffman, King Lead Amicus Brief Opposing Trump's Illegal Monument Scheme
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), and Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), along with Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), filed an amicus brief in federal court opposing President Trump's plan to erect a 250-foot "Independence Arch" on federal parkland in Washington, D.C., arguing the project blatantly violates laws requiring congressional authorization for new monuments. The case … Continue Reading
March 06, 2026
Members of Congress Request Investigation into Alleged Reports that Military Leaders Claim War in Iran Part of Biblical End-Times Prophecies
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressional Freethought Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Ranking Member Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) led 27 of their colleagues in requesting U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General Platte B. Moring III open an investigation into reports that servicemembers have lodged anonymous complaints about military commanders invoking religious prophecy and … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Rep. Huffman Statement on Vote to Rein in Trump’s Illegal, Costly War in Iran
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) released the following statement regarding his vote to pass the bipartisan War Powers Resolution and stop Trump from illegally launching the United States into a costly, deadly “forever war” with Iran: “I unequivocally oppose Trump’s rash, illegal decision to start a war against Iran without congressional authorization or any clear, consistent reasoning. This administration has proven time and time again it’s willing to … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Natural Resources Democrats Secure Six Bipartisan Geothermal Bills, Save Our Sequoias Framework in Committee Markup
Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Democrats advanced a bipartisan package of geothermal energy bills and a negotiated framework to protect California's giant sequoia groves during a full committee markup. Six geothermal bills passed by unanimous consent after Democrats successfully negotiated to maintain strong environmental standards and deliver real benefits to tribes, taxpayers, and communities. "At a time when we are divided on so many things, when there's so … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Challenges Trump's East Wing Demolition, Demands Transparency on Donor Influence
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron opposing the destruction of the White House East Wing, the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom, and any further modifications to President's Park without congressional consent. The letter was sent ahead of today's National Capital Planning Commission meeting on the White House Modernization Project. As the Commission moves toward final approval, Huffman warns that … Continue Reading
March 03, 2026
Huffman, Heinrich, Markey Lead 60 Lawmakers in Condemning Trump’s Plans to Sell Off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) led 60 members in the House and Senate in condemning the Trump administration’s plans to auction off sacred and sensitive lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas companies.The administration’s push comes despite two failed lease sales that exposed … Continue Reading
March 02, 2026
Committee Democrats Probe New “Fisherman in Residence” Role at NOAA
Washington, D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) demanded transparency from the Commerce Department on the appointment of Dustin Delano as “Fisherman in Residence” at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including his suspected conflicts of interest. Transparency regarding this position is critical to the continued success of marine fisheries … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Huffman Joins California Lawmakers in Push to Protect California Coast from New Oil Drilling
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), along with U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), joined their colleagues in sending a letter to the Trump administration opposing the development of new offshore oil and gas leases in the Southern and Central California Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning areas and to extend the current public comment period by 90 days. The Trump administration’s plan proposes opening vast swaths of previously protected … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Statement on Trump’s Latest Attack on NEPA, Public Input
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) condemned the Department of the Interior’s final rule gutting National Environmental Policy Act procedures for public lands. “The Trump administration’s final rule sharply limits the public’s ability to engage with decisions that affect public lands, which belong to every American,” said Ranking Member Huffman. “By weakening transparency and public engagement, this rule takes away the very … Continue Reading
February 18, 2026
Ranking Members Huffman, Heinrich, Klobuchar, Merkley, Pingree, and Colleagues Call on Secretary Burgum to Halt Creation of Unified Wildfire Agency, Citing Dramatic Cuts at the Interior and Concerns with Fire Mismanagement
WASHINGTON - U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and U.S. House of … Continue Reading
February 11, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Blasts GOP’s Big Tech Handout
Washington, D.C. — Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) took to the House Floor to oppose Republicans’ “Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025,” which hands tech giants like Meta and Amazon special exemptions and millions of dollars in savings to run cables through America’s National Marine Sanctuaries for free, skipping safety checks and ignoring the Tribes and communities who depend on these protected waters. “So, what do we have on the Floor this … Continue Reading
February 11, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Condemns Trump Torching Endangerment Finding as Attack on Public Health and Clean Air to Serve Big Oil Donors
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Trump administration announced it would finalize the repeal of the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding this week, the scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and wellbeing: "While families are losing their homes to wildfires, burying loved ones after catastrophic storms, and watching their insurance premiums explode, … Continue Reading
February 10, 2026
Ranking Member Huffman Blasts Whitewashing & Corruption Surrounding America’s 250th Birthday
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Democrats called out Republicans for allowing Trump to hijack America’s 250th Birthday celebration to sell access, hide his donors, and rewrite history — turning the country’s founding anniversary into a party exclusively for billionaires and a platform for Christian Nationalism. Ranking Member Huffman opened the hearing by laying out a clear … Continue Reading