Plans to Sell Millions of Acres of Federal Land Dropped
Source: Newsweek
Published Jun 30, 2025 at 7:28 AM EDT
A Republican plan to sell millions of acres of federal land has been withdrawn from President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act after it drew significant opposition from both sides of the political aisle. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, preemptively pulled his provision from the tax and spending bill on Saturday.
This means that efforts to mandate federal land sales for development and housing have been dropped from the bill. The move followed days of backlash from the public and lawmakers as well as warnings of rule violations from the Senate parliamentarian. Newsweek has contacted Lee for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The U.S. government manages about 28 percent of the nation's land, much of which is concentrated in Western states. Those in support of the sale of federal land, including Trump, framed the provision as a means to generate revenue and ease the housing shortage.
However, conservation organizations, Republican lawmakers and residents argued that the plan risked environmental harm without solving affordability concerns. The rift showed the struggle within the GOP over balancing property rights, local control and land stewardship.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/plans-sell-millions-acres-federal-land-dropped-2092375
The Parliamentarian had originally stricken this - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143485062
Then Lee put it back in the form of a revised version - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143487521
But looks like he pulled that too.

msongs
(71,636 posts)FadedMullet
(249 posts)maxsolomon
(36,784 posts)Always glad to see the Bundy crowd lose.
BumRushDaShow
(155,467 posts)particularly since at least one of them has been "illegally" grazing his cattle on public land IIRC, and if a "private" owner came in and started offing his herds for grazing where they shouldn't be, then I can imagine...
purple_haze
(259 posts)But they will try again. They've been trying for 10 years.
JoseBalow
(7,763 posts)sheshe2
(92,650 posts)They wanted to pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone
swong19104
(446 posts)for now. As long as the GOP lives and breathes, the idea of buying up and privatizing land will always be in their agenda.
calimary
(86,854 posts)As long as the GOP lives and breathes, WE TOO need to live and breathe, keeping them STOPPED and CONTAINED.
Bayard
(25,754 posts)At least for now.