President announces reduction of Utah national monument designations and signs related documents

The president announced at a press briefing that the administration is "terminating certain monuments," describing the total affected area as "almost 3,000,000 acres," and signed two related documents he described as close to "1,000,000 and a half acres each." The president said the action would make the land "better taken care of" and restore "fairness" to Utah residents.

Why it matters: administration officials and Utah leaders said the change narrows monument footprints to what they characterize as the Antiquities Act's original intent — protecting antiquities with the "smallest area possible" — and argued that the very large, multimillion-acre designations had outstripped available management resources. The governor of Utah told reporters the step was meant to make monument boundaries "more manageable so that we have the resources necessary to continue to protect these antiquities." Kaye, introduced by officials as the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior, noted the Antiquities Act is roughly 120 years old and contrasted historic monument sizes (hundreds to low thousands of acres) with recent expansions that now total more than 3,000,000 acres in Utah.

At the briefing the president repeatedly framed expanded monument designations as limiting public use: "You can't go hunting. You can't go fishing. You can't do anything," he said, and described the action as allowing "people of Utah" greater access. A participant identified as Wilson highlighted that some Utah counties are "over 90% federal land," arguing local governments lose revenue and control when decisions are made at a distance.

What was signed and next steps: the president said he would sign two documents related to the monument changes and directed handoffs to state representatives. The briefing did not provide the official names or legal text of the documents, nor did participants state precise boundary maps or publish citations for the specific monuments being altered during the remarks. Administration officials invoked the Antiquities Act as the legal framework for both creating and modifying monument designations.

Officials emphasized that the changes do not "remove the other protections that already exist in those areas," saying protections for antiquities would remain while monument footprints were narrowed to ease management. The briefing did not include a detailed timeline for implementing the changes, nor were specific new boundaries, management plans or guidance on hunting or other uses provided on the record.

The president concluded the signing portion by saying the steps were "very desperately needed" and would allow increased local use; reporters then moved on to questions about other topics. No formal vote or congressional action was recorded during the event.