Washington: US President Donald Trump said he had signed two executive orders to expand hunting and fishing access on federal land and ease restrictions on recreational boating, presenting the measures as victories for outdoor enthusiasts at a White House dinner.
Addressing hunters, anglers and outdoor industry leaders in the Rose Garden September 17, Trump said the orders would also protect traditional lead ammunition and expand fishing seasons and quotas.
“With the first order, we’re opening up millions of acres of federal land for our hunters and fishers,” he said.
Trump said the measure built on actions in August that opened 92 million acres of federal land across 32 states. He did not give a separate acreage figure for the new order.
“We believe that public lands belong to the American people and to the public, and hunters, fishers and outdoorsmen should be able to access them. And they weren’t able to.”
He held up the signed orders during his remarks. Their full texts were not included in the material supplied for this report, leaving the scope and implementation details unclear.
Trump said the first order protected the use of lead ammunition, acknowledging that he had needed an explanation of the issue.
“So the order protects the use of affordable traditional lead ammunition. That sounds good to me,” he said.
Turning to coastal recreation, Trump said the second order removed federal regulations affecting saltwater anglers, boaters, charter captains and coastal communities.
He criticised what he described as a Biden administration effort to impose a boating speed limit of 10 miles per hour. He said his administration was eliminating those restrictions immediately.
“This order also expands fishing seasons and fishing quotas, undoing another Biden disaster.”
Trump did not identify the fisheries covered by those changes or provide revised quotas. He also said his administration had approved all state permits for the 2026 red snapper season ahead of schedule.
The president linked the announcements to his support for gun owners and the Second Amendment. He accused former President Joe Biden of waging a “war on gun owners” and cited actions he said had reversed restrictions on firearms dealers and restored veterans’ gun rights.
Trump recognised Jeff Crane, president of the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, saying he would retire in December after 25 years.
He said work was continuing on a follow-up to the Great American Outdoors Act, which he signed during his first term. He offered no legislative timetable beyond saying he expected to sign it in the near future.
“And we’ll continue to work with farmers and ranchers to strengthen habitat and conservation efforts.”
The dinner also gave Trump an opportunity to showcase his White House renovation projects. He described repairs to the exterior, praised the Rose Garden’s stone surface and invited guests to inspect a new helipad and visit the Oval Office after dinner.
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