Sources: Biden drops plan to designate Avi Kwa Ame on Las Vegas trip
Update on March 8: President Joe Biden is no longer expected to designate Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument on his trip to Las Vegas next week. “The White House had indicated the Avi Kwa Ame designation would happen next week, then their plans changed,” people familiar with the president’s plans said.
Biden will instead travel to Las Vegas on March 14 and then host a public event on March 15 where he will discuss his plan to lower prescription drug costs, according to a White House official.
The original story is below.
President Joe Biden is planning a trip to Las Vegas on March 14, where he is expected to designate Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument.
Biden pledged to designate the southern Clark County site — a 450,000-acre area sacred to a number of tribal nations — on Nov. 30. Avi Kwa Ame would be the second national monument created during his presidency, a specific presidential power enumerated through the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Avi Kwa Ame’s designation is supported by the Clark County Commission, the Legislature, Southern Nevada’s congressional representatives, the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The president, who is expected to announce his re-election campaign this spring, also plans to host a private fundraiser while in Las Vegas with the goal of raising $1 million.
Biden’s trip is part of a West Coast fundraising swing that is expected to include stops in Southern California, per Politico.
This story was updated on March 8 at 11 a.m. to include the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. It was updated again at 8 p.m. to include details about Biden's event.