Plans to Sell Millions of Acres of Federal Land Dropped

[BumRushDaShow]

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A Republican plan to sell millions of acres of federal land has been withdrawn from President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act after it drew significant opposition from both sides of the political aisle.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

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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.