By Christina Hines | Mom, Former Prosecutor & Candidate for Congress (MI-10)
There are some things that should be off-limits — even in Washington. Things that are too sacred, too foundational, too important be used as bargaining chips. The Trump administration has been violating a lot of them - from ignoring the rule of law and weaponizing our justice department to suggesting we can revoke citizenship of folks we don’t like.
Our public lands are also something any party and any administration needs to keep their hands off of. And yet, under the Trump administration just weeks ago, we came dangerously close to seeing millions of acres of American wilderness — our parks, forests, deserts, and open spaces — handed over to private developers, energy giants, and foreign interests.
It was part of the Republican Budget Bill so-called the “Big Beautiful Bill” — and it would’ve rewritten the future of the American West. I’m grateful for the advocates in our community and across the nation who have been fighting against this.
What They Tried to Do
Buried deep in Trump’s legislative push was a provision that would have authorized the sale or lease of vast swaths of public land. This wasn’t the first time Trump did this. In 2017, President Trump shrunk our protected lands by more than two million acres — the single biggest rollback of protected lands in U.S. history.
No public input. No environmental review. No long-term plan — just short-term profits for powerful donors. It was an assault on the American idea that some places belong to all of us.
This Land Was Fought For — And It's Always Been Worth Protecting
The idea of public lands, that some places should belong to everyone, forever, is uniquely American. But it didn’t just happen. It took vision, activism, and political courage.
In 1872, Yellowstone became the WORLD’S first national park — a bold and radical act at the time. In the decades that followed, figures like President Theodore Roosevelt, conservationists, and Black and Indigenous advocates fought to protect more land from private exploitation.
We also need to tell the whole truth: these lands were not unclaimed or empty. Many of the parks and forests we treasure today were once home to Native nations — people who were forcibly removed in the name of “preservation.” Public lands carry that legacy of dispossession, and any true stewardship must also include restoring land rights, honoring tribal sovereignty, and ensuring Indigenous voices are at every table discussing conservation.
Roosevelt helped establish five national parks, 18 national monuments, and over 150 national forests, preserving millions of acres for the public good. In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which enshrined the idea that certain places should remain “untrammeled by man” — wild, free, and protected. For years, our national parks have been called “America’s best idea” because they embody our democratic ideas and promises: we will protect something larger than ourselves, something meant to outlive us. We will protect our lands for our children, our grandchildren, and generations to come.
These weren’t bipartisan niceties. They were moral choices and political fights. Every generation since has had to defend what they inherited. Today is no different.
The Republican Resistance — A Rare Stand Worth Noting
To their credit, a small group of Republicans — especially from Western states — stood up to this reckless proposal. Ranchers, hunters, tribal leaders, and everyday outdoor-loving Americans spoke out. In some places, their representatives actually listened.
Let’s be clear: they didn’t do it for the right reasons across the board. But in this moment, they did the right thing. I’ll always give credit where it’s due, regardless of party affiliation.
Still, it was Democrats — in Congress and in communities across the nation — who rang the alarm first. Who rallied the opposition and who stopped this from becoming law.
Democrats Are the Party of Protecting our Environment and Public Lands — And We Always Have Been
While MAGA Republicans try to sell off what belongs to the people, Democrats are working to preserve it. Democrats are the party that believe and champion:
Climate change is real.
Clean air and clean water are critical.
We must uphold tribal sovereignty and honor treaty rights.
Our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit wild places that are still wild.
I’m running for Congress for the next generation, which includes being one more voice defending the legacy we leave behind — the parks, the trails, the clean rivers, the dark skies, and the public lands that don’t just belong to us — but to everyone.
Our democracy is under threat from authoritarianism, from greed, from the idea that nothing is sacred unless it turns a profit. But we know better. We know that patriotism means protection. That freedom means future generations still get to roam, breathe, wander, and wonder.
We are caretakers. We are stewards. This fight — like so many others — is about whether we live up to that responsibility. Democrats know this. We are the party championing this.
I have three incredible children. We camp. We hike. I’ve watched them skip rocks, build forts from sticks, and stare up at stars from places without a single streetlight in sight. My son and I have cleaned up our local beachfront, and our family makes intentional choices about what we buy to try to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
I’m strongly opposed to the sale or transfer of our national forests, wildlife refuges, and other national public lands. I want my kids — and your kids — to grow up in a country that still believes in public good over private greed.
In addition to doing everything I can to protect our public lands, I will also fight to make entry into our National Park Service FREE. Our National Park Service is funded by taxpayers, and it is long past time to make entry free to ensure that visiting our nation's best treasures is within reach of EVERY single American family.
That’s what this campaign is about. That’s what this moment is about. And that’s what the Democratic Party is fighting for — even when it’s hard.
Let’s Be the Ones Who Keep What’s Worth Keeping
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Tell your representatives: public lands are not for sale
Because we won’t sell your national parks.
We won’t privatize your forests.
And we won’t auction off your future.
As a working mom, Christina understands the challenges families face every day. Christina wants to fight to protect our children and serve our community - and she’s sick of the extremists in Washington creating dysfunction and sowing chaos, like threatening to tear away at education, Social Security, and Medicare.
Christina will be a leader in Washington who will protect and serve our community’s interests, approaching each issue with strength, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to fight for America and Freedom for future generations. That’s why she’s running for Congress.
PAID FOR BY CHRISTINA HINES FOR CONGRESS