GOP alleges collusion at Interior; Dems play the Trump card

By Garrett Downs | 05/01/2024 06:30 AM EDT

House lawmakers debated whether environmental groups or the oil and gas industry have more sway at the Interior Department.

Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and ranking member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) last year. The two led a hearing Tuesday on the Interior Department and claims of environmental group influence. Francis Chung/POLITICO

House Republicans on Tuesday sought to expose collusion between the Interior Department and environmental activist groups.

Democrats responded by accusing the oil and gas industry and former Republican President Donald Trump of corruption.

The Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations met to discuss “the Influence of Extreme Environmental Activist Groups in the Department of the Interior.”

The hearing quickly devolved into a fierce partisan tit for tat over what administration has been more corrupt, and it came a day before Interior Secretary Deb Haaland appears before the full committee.

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