GOP Budget Bill Plans To Sell Over 2 Million Acres Of Public Land Across 11 States, Faces Pushback From Lawmakers And Conservationists

More than 2 million acres of public land across 11 states could go up for sale under the current version of the Republican budget bill. The proposal has drawn criticism from conservation groups, hunting organizations, local officials and some conservative leaders too.

What Happened: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who leads the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, included a provision to the draft budget bill that would authorize the sale of federal lands. According to The Hill, the proposal reflects a long-standing goal among Western conservatives to institute more local control over federal lands.

Though national parks and designated wilderness areas would be excluded, Lee said the targeted parcels are "isolated" and more suited for housing and infrastructure. "Washington has proven time and again it can't manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands," Lee argued in a video posted by his office.

Lee has faced opposition from within his own party, and a similar land sale provision was already rejected in the House.

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) spearheaded the effort to remove the land sale provision from the House version, declaring himself a "hard no" on such proposals.

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Why It Matters: As per The Wilderness Society's estimates, over 250 million acres could be vulnerable under this policy. Michael Carroll of The Wilderness Society called the move "a betrayal of future generations." Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the Senate energy committee's ranking Democrat, warned that the outcome would be the loss of public access to cherished outdoor spaces, with negligible benefit to housing supply.

Environmental advocate Benji Backer called the proposal a "loser issue," in a social media post, adding, "I've never seen so many conservatives AND liberals stand together as I've seen in opposition of this proposed mass sale of public lands."

A recent YouGov poll showed that 71% of Americans do not agree with such land sales, including majorities of both Trump and Harris voters.

In March, the Trump administration reportedly set up a task force to identify suitable sections from 650 million acres of federal land to develop new housing to address the nationwide shortage. In the same month, President Donald Trump also signed an executive order to expand logging on 280 million acres of federal land, bypassing environmental safeguards and aiming to boost timber sales.