Trump signs orders loosening hunting restrictions, teases Outdoors Act ‘2.0’

President Trump hosted over 100 hunters, anglers and outdoor industry officials for a dinner in the Rose Garden Thursday to announce executive orders rolling back certain hunting and fishing restrictions.

“We believe that public lands belong to the American people and to the public, and hunters, fishers, and outdoorsmen should be able to access them,” Trump said.

One order mandates that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expand the amount of federal land available to hunters and fishers, which builds on the administration’s order August that opened up more than 92 million acres of federal land across 32 states. Burgum attended the dinner but did not deliver remarks.

Trump also touted that his latest order rolled back Biden-era prohibiting the use of traditional lead ammunition and tackle.

“Lead ammunition was a problem, huh? Is it better than other ammunition? I assume, huh? That’s pretty good,” he said. “I don’t know what the hell that means, but I know one thing: you wanted it. You wanted it, and I’m here for you.”

The second order modernizes federal fishery management and loosens restrictions on American boaters and anglers — expands fishing seasons and quotas.

The president also reflected on his 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, which provided billions of dollars to address a maintenance backlog at national parks and provided millions for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

He said a “2.0” of that legislation would be coming in the “very near future.”