# What This Bill Does

Right now, the President has pretty broad power to create national monuments on federal land without needing approval from Congress. This bill would change that by putting an expiration date on any new monuments the President creates. Under this proposal, any national monument established by the President would automatically disappear after six months unless Congress votes to keep it. If Congress is no longer in session when the monument is created, it would expire at the end of that congressional session instead—whichever comes first.

# Who This Affects and How

This mainly affects people who care about land conservation and environmental protection, as well as those who want more local control over public lands. Environmental groups and conservation advocates would likely oppose this because it makes it much harder to permanently protect natural areas and historical sites. They worry that a six-month window gives opponents time to lobby Congress to reject the monument before it becomes permanent. On the flip side, people who believe local communities and states should have more say in how federal land is used would probably support this, since it gives Congress a chance to weigh in on every monument decision.

# The Long-Term Impact

There's also a 25-year restriction built in: if a monument expires and Congress doesn't approve it, that same land can't be protected as a monument again for 25 years. This essentially locks in decisions against protection for a generation. The practical effect is that creating permanent national monuments would become much harder and more politically contentious, since the President couldn't simply designate a monument and have it stick—it would need ongoing congressional support to survive.