Arrington: Stopping Biden's attempted overreach at Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge in West Texas

By U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington
August 28, 2025
AS SEEN IN THE LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Just weeks after rescinding Biden’s radical Green New Deal proposal to expand the Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge by over 10,000%, I was back in Bailey County meeting with constituents to discuss the importance of standing up for Rural America against federal overreach.

I vehemently opposed this federal land grab for several reasons:

First, I believe in private property rights. The federal government should not take over vast swaths of land in the name of radical environmental initiatives like Biden’s 30x30 Plan and the Green New Deal.

Second, the claim that the expansion was necessary to protect endangered species is simply not true, as the populations of the animals listed under this plan are thriving.

Third, the federal government has failed to manage the land it already controls, as the maintenance backlog for the National Wildlife Refuge System is over $2.6 billion. If the government can’t manage the land it already owns, why in the world would we expect that it can handle more?

Fourth, the slashing of the local tax base would decimate schools, public safety, and important services in West Texas, as the federal government does not adequately reimburse communities for land purchases.

Fifth, this would enable more federal overreach similar to the Biden Administration’s weaponization of federal agencies against farmers, independent energy producers, and the State of Texas’s efforts to secure the border.

And, finally, at a time when our nation’s debt has surpassed WWII levels, the federal government has no business spending your tax dollars to expand federal land.

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington is a Republican from Lubbock serving the 19th Congressional District of Texas and chairman of the House Budget Committee. His district covers Lubbock and Abilene as well as much of the South Plains, Big Country and surrounding region.