Five Native American Tribes Sue Trump Over Monument Changes

Five Native American tribes filed a lawsuit Monday after President Trump announced his plans to significantly shrink the Bears Ears National Monument. The Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute, the Navajo Nation, and the Ute Indian tribes originally pushed for the monument designation and now representatives are arguing that Trump does not have the authority to shrink the site. “They declared war on us today,” said Shaun Chapoose, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee. “If they think we’re not prepared to protect it, they’re kidding themselves.” Environmental and conservation organizations, including the Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club, are also suing Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for shrinking Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.