Rep. Gabe Vasquez Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, Keeps Push to Protect Public Lands

WASHINGTON, DC - On May 7, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) celebrated the one-year anniversary of the launch of the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, which he co-founded on May 7, 2025. Last summer, bipartisan Public Lands Caucus Members helped successfully defeat attempts to sell off millions of acres of public lands under the Republican tax law.

Since the founding of the Public Lands Caucus Vasquez has celebrated the following wins for protecting public lands:

• Blocking the sell-off of public lands in Nevada and Utah in the Republican tax bill.
• Blasting a backroom Senate deal to steal 3.3 million acres of public lands across the American West.
• Supporting the Public Lands in Public Hands Actto safeguard America's public lands and ensure they remain open and accessible for all.

"Coming together across the aisle to protect public lands can create lasting, impactful policy that persists beyond cyclical political environments and stands the test of time," said Vasquez. "That's why I'm proud to have co-founded the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, which helped prevent the largest sell-off of public lands in our nation's history. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to find areas of agreement to protect and manage our public lands, expand access, support rural economies, and grow outdoor recreation."

Today, Vasquez continued his push to protect public lands by sending a letter to Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz opposing the reorganization of the United States Forest Service (USFS) and underscoring the threats it poses to public lands this wildfire season.

The U.S. Forest Service recently announced it would be closing 55 of its 77 research stations across the nation, including six potential closings in western states. New Mexico ranks among the top ten U.S. states for public land agency job losses in 2025, and many U.S. Forest Service workers now face the renewed threat of layoffs after the Administration's proposed reorganization and downsizing of the agency. Rep. Vasquez has come out against this plan numerous times and is also helping introduce the Public Lands Workforce Stability Act to officially prohibit workforce reductions in the Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior.

"The United States is about to enter what many predict will be a devastating fire season, driven by extremely dry vegetation and a severe snow deficit directly linked to climate change," wrote the members in the letter. "This reorganization proposal would close 57 of the agency's 77 research stations across 31 states, including stations that study wildfire, drought, pests, and climate change-all of which pose immediate and growing threats to our national forests and nearby communities-and threaten to take decades of staff expertise with them."

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