[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 9, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5091-H5093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PUBLIC LANDS MILITARY READINESS ACT OF 2025
Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 5131) to extend military land withdrawals in Alaska, New Mexico,
and California for a period of 25 years and to make technical
corrections to descriptions for certain military land withdrawals, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5131
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H5092]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Public Lands Military
Readiness Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN MILITARY LAND WITHDRAWALS AND
CORRECTION OF CERTAIN LAND DESCRIPTIONS.
(a) Extension of Withdrawal and Reservation for Military
Use of Certain Lands.--
(1) Yukon training area, donnelly training area east, and
donnelly training area west, alaska, and mcgregor range, fort
bliss, new mexico.--Section 3015(a) of the Military Lands
Withdrawal Act of 1999 (title XXX of Public Law 106-65; 113
Stat. 892) is amended by striking ``25 years after November
6, 2001'' and inserting ``on November 6, 2051''.
(2) Fort irwin military lands.--Section 2910(a) of the Fort
Irwin Military Land Withdrawal Act of 2001 (title XXIX of
Public Law 107-107; 115 Stat. 1339) is amended by striking
``25 years after the date of the enactment of this Act'' and
inserting ``on December 31, 2051''.
(b) Correction of Land Descriptions.--
(1) Mcgregor range military lands.--Section 3011(d)(2) of
the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 (title XXX of
Public Law 106-65; 113 Stat. 892) is amended by striking
``608,385 acres of land'' and inserting ``approximately
605,401 acres of land''.
(2) Fort irwin military lands.--Section 2902(c) of the Fort
Irwin Military Land Withdrawal Act of 2001 (title XXIX of
Public Law 107-107; 115 Stat. 1336) is amended--
(A) by striking ``110,000 acres'' and inserting ``117,710
acres''; and
(B) by striking ``as `Proposed Withdrawal Land' on the map
entitled `National Training Center--Proposed Withdrawal of
Public Lands for Training Purposes', dated September 21,
2000'' and inserting ``on the map entitled `Fort Irwin
Withdrawal' dated February 28, 2025''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Crank) and the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.
General Leave
Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on H.R. 5131, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5131, the Public
Lands Military Readiness Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative
Begich of Alaska.
This is an important bill that ensures our military continues to have
access to the lands they need to train, test, and remain ready to deter
and defeat our Nation's adversaries abroad.
{time} 1650
H.R. 5131 extends critical land withdrawals for an additional 25
years at Fort Greely and Fort Wainwright in Alaska, Fort Irwin in
California, and the McGregor Range at Fort Bliss in New Mexico. These
lands provide unique training environments, restricted airspace, and
infrastructure that cannot be replicated elsewhere. They are essential
for Arctic operations, brigade-level exercises, missile defense
testing, and joint training with our allied forces.
The importance of this legislation cannot be overstated. It is vital
that we continue to allow the Army to use these unique areas. Fort
Greely and Fort Wainwright in Alaska have the only Arctic training
environments in this Nation. Fort Irwin, in California's Mojave Desert,
houses the National Training Center, the Army's premier site for
brigade-level, force-on-force training exercises. Finally, the McGregor
Range in southern New Mexico supports Patriot missile live-fire
exercises, aerial gunnery, and large-scale mobilization training.
Without these vital training areas, we would risk losing our military's
strategic advantage over hostile foreign nations.
I commend Representative Begich for his leadership on this effort.
His bill provides long-term certainty to the U.S. Army so they can
continue training and testing effectively as they prepare for the
threats of tomorrow. By advancing this legislation, he is not only
helping Alaska, but the entire Nation, by ensuring we have the most
capable, prepared Armed Forces in the entire world.
I also thank the U.S. Army for their continued service to our Nation
and for their collaboration on this effort. They strongly support this
bill, and we were grateful to work alongside them to advance this
legislation.
This is a good bill. It strengthens national security, provides
certainty for our servicemembers, and ensures America remains prepared
to deter aggression and protect our interests around the world. This
legislation also directly reflects the priorities set forth in
President Trump's executive order on prioritizing military excellence
and readiness, which reaffirmed America's commitment to the military
superiority necessary to counter new and emerging threats.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Begich for his hard work on this
legislation which helps our military. I urge my colleagues to support
his bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC, December 8, 2025.
Hon. Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Westerman: H.R. 5131, the ``Public Lands
Military Readiness Act of 2025'', was referred primarily to
the Committee on Natural Resources, with an additional
referral to the Committee on Armed Services.
H.R. 5131 contains provisions within the Committee on Armed
Services' Rule X jurisdiction. As a result of your having
consulted with the Committee and to expedite this bill for
floor consideration, the Committee on Armed Services will
forego action on the bill. This is being done based on our
mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or
alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed Services
with respect to the appointment of conferees, or to any
future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters
contained in the bill or similar bills.
I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming
this understanding, and would request that you include a copy
of this letter and your response in the committee report or
in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of
this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Mike Rogers,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, December 8, 2025.
Hon. Mike Rogers,
Chairman, Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Rogers: I write regarding H.R. 5131, the
``Public Lands Military Readiness Act of 2025,'' which was
ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on
November 20, 2025.
I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall
within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed Services
and appreciate your willingness to forgo further
consideration of the bill. I acknowledge that the Committee
on Armed Services will not formally consider H.R. 5131 and
agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the
bill does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter
contained therein.
I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in
the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the
bill and will include such letters in the committee report on
H.R. 5131. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this
legislation.
Sincerely,
Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5131, legislation introduced
by my colleague from Alaska (Mr. Begich). This important bill will
extend the public land withdrawals for several military installations
that operate on public lands in Alaska, California, and New Mexico.
Our public lands do a lot. As we have already discussed on the floor
of the House today, they mean a lot to the American people.
One critical function that many Americans may not know about is their
role in supporting military training, readiness, and other strategic
missions throughout the country.
The use of these lands, as made possible by the extensions provided
by this bill, is incredibly important to the U.S. Army and the
Department of Defense. I thank the majority for working with us in a
bipartisan manner to ensure swift consideration of these provisions.
A version of this language is expected to be included in this year's
final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is
expected to get a floor vote very soon. This will ensure that the
critical operations at each of these installations proceed without
interruption.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Begich for his work on
this bill. I urge swift passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the lead sponsor on this bill.
[[Page H5093]]
Mr. BEGICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R.
5131, the Public Lands Military Readiness Act of 2025. This is a
bipartisan, commonsense measure that ensures our Armed Forces retain
access to some of the most essential training lands in the United
States.
For decades, public lands in Alaska, New Mexico, and California have
been withdrawn from military use under statute. These withdrawals are
not permanent, they must be renewed by Congress, and several of them
are now scheduled to expire.
If Congress fails to act, then critical training areas at Fort
Wainwright and Fort Greely in Alaska, the McGregor Range in New Mexico,
and Fort Irwin in California would lose their legal status for military
use.
H.R. 5131 solves that problem by extending these withdrawals for 25
more years and making necessary technical corrections to land
descriptions to ensure accuracy and proper management.
In Alaska alone, this bill protects more than 850,000 acres of world-
class training terrain used by the 11th Airborne Division, the Army's
only Arctic-designated division. These soldiers must train in extreme
cold, remote, and challenging environments in order to be prepared for
real-world missions in the high north. There is simply no substitute
for the terrain and conditions Alaska provides.
This legislation does not expand the military footprint or limit
public access beyond what is already established. Importantly, this
bill does not bypass environmental review. In fact, the military has
engaged in robust consultation with Tribes, local communities,
conservation groups, and stakeholders across Alaska, New Mexico, and
California.
What this bill does is straightforward. It preserves readiness,
strengthens national security, and upholds responsible stewardship of
public lands, all while ensuring the continuity of training operations
that our servicemembers rely on to stay prepared and to stay safe.
At a time when global threats are ever-present, particularly in the
Arctic, Congress must ensure our military can train as they fight. H.R.
5131 accomplishes exactly that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for
their support, and I urge all Members to join me in voting ``yes'' on
this important legislation.
Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Representative Begich for his
leadership on the Public Lands Military Readiness Act of 2025. This
bill ensures that our military's capabilities and readiness will remain
strong as we move into the future.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5131,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crank) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5131, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________