A Republican congressman wants to prevent federal agencies from having their own “paramilitary units” and require them to rely on local authorities after the Bundy Ranch drama.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) said his proposal was in response to the armed standoff between the impromptu militia that supported Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and officials from the Bureau of Land Management.
Stewart, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, plans to work to cut off funding for federal “paramilitary units,” as he called them, within agencies like the BLM and the Internal Revenue Service.
“There are lots of people who are really concerned when the BLM shows up with its own SWAT team,” he said Tuesday. “They’re regulatory agencies. They’re not paramilitary units, and I think that concerns a lot of us.”
A spokeswoman for the BLM told the newspaper the agency doesn’t currently have any SWAT or tactical teams.
