• U.S. Rep. says EPA is  overstepping its authority.

US Representative for Wyoming Harriet Hageman sat down with SVI to discuss several issues the Cowboy State is facing at home along with international matters.

BLM announcement regarding coal leasing

She says this another example of the Biden Administration trying to stop the United States from producing domestic energy.

“It is the war on the West,” Hageman said. “It is the war on energy production. It is the war on affordable energy. This is part of the reason you see the inflationary pressures that you do.”

She says there are things they are working on to stop this. First thing is they will do a Congressional Review Act according to the US Representative.

“When an agency adopts a regulation,” Hageman said. “Congress can come in and pass a resolution to actually block or nullify that regulation from going into effect.”

She says another thing they will consider is trying to defund anything they are trying to do to enforce the regulation. She says with it being an election year she is hoping there will be a new administration that will also be able to end this regulation and start prioritizing energy producers in the United States.

EPA rules on coal-fired power plants

She says this another example of the Biden Administration from trying to stop oil and gas along with coal production domestically.

She says the Environmental Protection Agency is overstepping its authority in many regards. She cited an example of the EPA creating a sub agency like a “mini USDA”.

“The purpose is to oversee and monitor and regulate food production,” Hageman said. “So, you can see where this is going.”

She says the Supreme Court has ruled the EPA must “stay in its own lane”. The Congresswoman says the executive branch created the EPA for a specific purpose. She accuses the Biden Administration and the previous Democrat administration under President Barack Obama of using the Clean Power Plan to regulate things utilizing the EPA that “it has no business regulating.”

“In the last couple of years with the Sackett decision (Sackett v. EPA) and the West Virginia decision (West Virginia v. EPA),” Hageman said. “The United States Supreme Court has made very clear that the EPA does not have the legal authority to do what they’re doing.”

She accuses the Biden administration of going rogue over several matters it shouldn’t as well such as student loan forgiveness. The Congresswoman believes this is why there needs to be a new administration elected this year.

Election integrity

She says there are a couple of bills being considered that she has cosponsored. One is to require proof of citizenship and identification to be able to vote in federal elections.

“Now keep in mind that elections need to be run at the state level,” Hageman said. “We do not want to federalize elections. But when it comes to federal elections, we have every right as Congress to identify the requirements for voting in a federal election.”

She also highlights some things the Republican National Committee (RNC) has been working on the last two years. She used the ban on private money support for elections passed in Wisconsin this year as an example.

“We have won some important lawsuits in Pennsylvania,” Hageman said. “In regard to signature verification.”

She says the RNC also has over 130,000 volunteers to be available on election night to monitor things going on and address situations as they happen.

She says she has also cosponsored a bill on the next 2030 Census that there will be a requirement to state what your citizenship status is. She says they are also pursuing a bill that only people with citizenship or legal immigrant status will be counted in the Census for redistricting.



Funding conflicts in Israel and Ukraine

The US Representative for Wyoming says she has voted in favor of sending funds to Israel over their conflict.

“Israel has a plan of action, we know what they’re doing,” Hageman said. “We know why they’re doing it and I truly believe that Israel, right now, is the tip of the sphere in terms of protecting western civilization and fighting back and rooting out terrorism and destroying the terrorists who did what they did on October 7th and other acts throughout the world.”

She says when it comes to Ukraine she has not voted in favor or sending funds with their conflict with Russia. She says the United States has already appropriated over $120 billion and says the Biden Administration has not given an accounting on how the money is being spent.

“Whether it is making it to the front lines,” Hageman said. “We do know that approximately 50% of the money we have sent to Ukraine is actually paying for government services such as pensions, garbage collection, schools that sort of thing.”

She says she doesn’t believe she has been given enough information to give her support for the Ukrainian war efforts. She also highlights that when the U.S. appropriate $61 billion to Ukraine that a portion of that is for border security.

“The irony there should not be lost on anyone,” Hageman said. “We are sending money to Ukraine for border security.”

Issues at the border

She says there really have not been any improvements at the border. She also says the recent Senate Bill regarding the bill was not addressing the problem.

“The Senate Bill is not a border security bill,” Hageman said. “It is a process them faster bill.”

She says it is a way to get more illegals into the United States faster. She says the language of the bill states they could allow between 5,000 and 8,500 cross daily before there is effort to stop the flow.

“They could have 1.5 million people cross illegally every year,” Hageman said. “Before they make any effort to staunch the flow.”

She says those restrictions would end in 2025, as well.