As reported last week, Representative Jodey Arrington announced that Department of the Interior Secretary Burgham rescinded the Land Protection Plan for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. American Stewards of Liberty has been fighting this land grab since June of last year.
The Biden Administration’s Final Land Protection Plan was set to federalize 700,000 acres of private land, expanding the Refuge by over 10,000%. This would have destroyed the economy of the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico by infringing on the private property rights of thousands of landowners and their farm and cattle operations.
The Muleshoe Land Grab was a stealth attempt to create the first federal government stronghold in Texas. American Stewards of Liberty is thankful for Rep. Arrington and President Trump’s Department of Interior for ending this plan and rolling back a key component of Biden’s 30×30 agenda.
U.S. House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) where the Refuge is located, issued a press release celebrating the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to cancel the Land Protection Plan for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge and ending the Biden Administration’s land grab.
In his press release, one of the three individuals he quoted was ASL’s Executive Director Margaret Byfield who stated: “The Muleshoe land grab was a stealth attempt to create the first federal government stronghold in Texas” We are thankful to President Trump and Secretary Burgum for rescinding this plan and rolling back another key component of the 30×30 agenda. We are also thankful to Representative Arrington for his swift actions to ensure this plan was stopped. He has boldly protected the property rights of his constituents and stood squarely between Texans and the federal government.”
“No FED Act” Needs Our Support
In addition to this withdrawal of the Land Plan, on July 23, 2025, the House Natural Resource Committee passed Rep. Arrington’s H.R. 839, out of committee. Arrington appropriately named his bill the No Federal Expansion Designation (No FED) in West Texas Act.
The “No FED” Act will prohibit the implementation of any future Land Protection Plans for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. ASL will continue to monitor the movement of this legislation and alert you to any future actions or support necessary to enact this bill.
Rep. Arrington posted a video message on “X” explaining the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Plan and gave excellent reasons why he opposed the plan by stating he “supports private property as the cornerstone of our free society and quality of life in America.” And, he added our nation has “limited resources” being $36 trillion in debt, and as his father used to say “we need more public lands like we need another hole in our heads,” and besides, the “federal government is not a good manager of the lands they own now.”
He continued by saying he’s “seen federal overreach and weaponization of public lands and endangered species that has deprived farmers of much-needed water resources and it’s time this all stops.”
Ending this plan, as Rep. Arrington noted is what’s “best for all Americans, for our taxpayers, and certainly for West Texas and the people in Muleshoe and the surrounding area. God bless America and Go West Texas.”
