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WASHINGTON (AP) — Western Democrats are pressuring President Donald Trump not to rescind land protections put in place by President Barack Obama, including for Utah's Bears Ears National Monument. Obama infuriated Utah Republicans when he created the monument on 1.3 million acres of land that is sacred to Native Americans. Republicans have asked Trump to take the unusual step of reversing the designation, saying it will add another layer of unnecessary federal control. In a letter this week, nine Western Democratic senators wrote Trump to say that weakening protections for Bears Ears or any other national monument would be a "direct affront" to local communities and stakeholders. And on Thursday, House Democrats released documents showing repeated contact between Obama administration officials and Utah officials before Obama designated the monument Dec. 28.

Western Democrats pressure Trump to keep national monuments