WHEATLAND — Congresswoman Harriet Hageman visited the bi-weekly Platte County Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday after a long absence from Wyoming, commenting she had not visited the state since January 2023. 

“It is wonderful to be back in Wyoming; things have been interesting in Washington, D.C. and congress, and I am so honored to represent the state of Wyoming and the interests of all the citizens here,” she said. “I wanted to share with you some of my most important priorities in protecting our oil, gas, and coal resources and protecting ranchers’ grazing rights in small communities.”

Hageman also explained the committee work she is involved in and issues these committees are attempting to address. “This has been an historical year; with 15 votes for the Speaker of the House in October, then the removal of that same Speaker, things have been somewhat chaotic,” Hageman added. 

Hageman currently serves on two committees for the 118th Congress, and is one of only a select few freshman members to serve as chair for a subcommittee. The House Committee on the Judiciary includes the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

According to Hageman the focus is on important constitutional issues. “I feel we can do a better job of protecting our 1st and 4th Amendment rights, and can push back against the administrative state and empower our legislative branch.”

Hageman spoke out about the violation of the 1st Amendment by Christopher Wray and Merrick Garland, challenging what they have been doing, such as surveilling Catholics in church and accusing parents on school boards of being domestic terrorists.

The Congresswoman also sits on the House Committee on Natural Resources which includes the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, of which she is the Chair, and the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.

“The coal and gas industries are very important to Wyoming, but also important to the entire country to power our nation. This climate hysteria is out of control and we need to get back to some common sense,” Hageman said. “We need a good, sound energy policy and the Natural Resources Committee is pushing that agenda. I believe they are doing all they can to block development in the USA and go off-shore, which makes us vulnerable.”

Hageman added the United States is 30 years behind Russia and China in technology and resources, and with 48 percent of Wyoming land being federally owned, the opportunity for Bill Gates to buy up all that land is no conspiracy theory. “One of the challenges to overcome is the animosity toward coal and the refusal to recognize the benefits of that resource,” she said. “It’s a fraud to use our natural resources against us.”

In addition to focusing on Wyoming’s resources, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs also takes priority, which includes comprehensive and accessible health services.

“Some of our tribal work is getting healthcare to tribal members, some are ‘stuck’ with Indian health service, and a major contributor to a lowered life expectancy (by 20 years) is the prevalence of diabetes among tribal members … There have been billions of dollars spent with a poor outcome, and we are trying to get the head of Indian Health before the Subcommittee, and to get tribal members to testify to their challenges. There is also a focus on trying to give autonomy to their own real property,” said Hageman. The Congresswoman concluded by saying she hopes to be in Wyoming as much as possible in the coming year.