Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), 67, a senior House Appropriations Committee member overseeing DHS funding, announced on February 6, 2026, that he will retire at the end of his term, becoming the 30th House Republican not seeking reelection. Rep. Amodei became infamous amongst the MAGA base for being one of the RINOs who tried to sell off public lands to developers, which many saw as the horrid destruction of America’s natural heritage to benefit a special interest group. Fortunately, that sell off was blocked.
In any case, after 15 years representing Nevada’s 2nd District, he cited personal honor in service and timing to “pass the torch,” unrelated to health or midterm concerns. His exit follows recent scandals where he became infamous for trying to sell off national parks to property developers as well as block the president from making new ones.
“Serving the people of Nevada has been the honor of my lifetime. Nobody is prouder of our Nevada Congressional District than me. Thank you for the honor. Every achievement worth doing began with listening to Nevadans and fighting for our values,” noted Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) in his retirement statement.
Concluding his comments, he added, “I came to Congress to solve problems and to make sure our State and Nation have strong voice in the federal policy and oversight processes. I look forward to finishing my term. After 15 years of service, I believe it is the right time for Nevada and myself to pass the torch.”
Amodei the RINO was infamous for, in addition to the public lands issue, trying to bar the president from designating new national parks. The Coalition to Protect National Parks stated, “The Antiquities Act has played a pivotal role in our country’s history, and in the history of the National Park Service.”
The organization added, “The National Park Service manages over 100 parks that were designated thanks to the Antiquities Act, including well-known national parks such as Acadia, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, and Olympic. Today, these places are integral to our national identity and are hugely popular sites within the National Park System.”
“In addition, they have a huge impact on local economies. For example, at Great Basin National Park in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District – which was first protected as Lehman Caves National Monument – 143 thousand park visitors spent an estimated $15.4 million in local gateway regions while visiting the park in 2023,” the statement stated.
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Providing another reason, the document explained, “At Zion National Park in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District – which was also first protected under the Antiquities Act – 4.6 million park visitors spent an estimated $676 million in local gateway regions while visiting the park in 2023.”
“Since the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906, 18 presidents – nine Democratic and nine Republican – have established or expanded more than 160 national monuments. It has helped to protect landscapes that tell the story of the American experience, through their physical features or their histories,” the statement read.
In conclusion, the document noted, “It is a powerful and bipartisan tool that is needed to help protect irreplaceable resources for future generations. The Antiquities Act should be preserved so that America’s special places can be too.”