Congressman McClintock Updates Tuolumne County Leaders On Federal Issues
View VideoSonora, CA — Mother Lode Congressman Tom McClintock was the guest speaker at a Friday afternoon luncheon at the Black Oak Casino Resort hosted by the Tuolumne County Business Council and the Tuolumne Band of Me Wuk Indians.
Over 50 invited guests were on hand, including a mix of local business and government leaders. There were several representatives from both the City of Sonora and Tuolumne County government.
McClintock opened by providing an update on the Yosemite National Park Reservation System, saying that the gateway communities depend on tourism and the reservation system has “absolutely pounded” local lodging businesses.
McClintock has been lobbying for the elimination of the reservation system. He says the National Park Service was ready to re-impose it this summer, but he has spoken to the White House about it, and they also seem to share his similar concerns.
Click here to see McClintock’s full comments about Yosemite.
He also expressed optimism about the passage of the “Fix our Forest Act,” which he is authoring, and would reduce the regulatory hurdles on forest management projects. It would expand to other areas a pilot project that was earlier implemented in the Lake Tahoe area. Planning documents required for projects would be reduced from about 800 pages to a few dozen.
He also talked very complimentarily about the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to reduce waste, noting that one of his biggest concerns is the federal deficit, which has continued to increase over recent decades.
McClintock said the problem can be condensed to four words, “It’s the spending stupid,” and the solution is also four words, “In DOGE we trust.”
One area he disagreed with the White House is on tariffs, and the corresponding increasing cost of goods, and potential negative impacts on businesses. He hopes that in the end, there will be a point when no tariffs are needed.
Overall, he was very pleased with the early actions of the Trump administration.
Summing up the past few months, he said, “We have a long way to go and damage to repair, but we’re on our way. It is far too early to celebrate, but not too early for one to have a sense of optimism and hope.”
He also answered audience questions and they were in relation to natural resources (biomass and water storage), judicial activism, Democratic Party voting blocs, and Medicaid cuts.
