Controversial GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits major roadblock

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee's plan to peddle millions of acres of federally held land was dealt an ignominious blow this week when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that his proposed measure violated legislative rules and could not be included in President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill." Lee has since revised his proposal, casting blame on a "massive misinformation campaign" by liberals. Claims of partisan trickery notwithstanding, his plan to reappropriate huge swaths of federal land has irked a number of the senator's fellow Republicans.

A push to address 'housing-related needs'

Past efforts to sell large parcels of government-owned land have "enraged conservationists" as well as proven "contentious with some Republicans," The New York Times said at the start of Lee's push earlier this month. While rising housing costs have led some Democrats to support "limited efforts to allow more construction on public lands," Lee's proposal is a "fire sale" that would take a "sledgehammer to our national public lands," said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to the paper.

Although Lee has claimed his plan will "make room" for housing development, Axios said, the language of his bill didn't require any of the homes built on the land in question to "meet any standard for affordability." Lee's initial bill had "no requirements for affordability or density" and provided "no significant guardrails" to prevent the land being used for "trophy homes, pricey vacation spots, exclusive golf communities or other developments," said the Center for American Progress. Housing advocates have also noted that much of the government land is not "universally suitable for affordable housing" to begin with, The Associated Press said.

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Under a revised version of Lee's plan, territory maintained by the Forest Service will be "off the table" for development, as would a "significant chunk" of Bureau of Land Management property, The Salt Lake Tribune said. Instead, Lee's new proposal would only include land "within five miles of population centers" set aside for "FREEDOM ZONES to ensure these lands benefit AMERICAN FAMILIES," the senator said on X.

But Lee acknowledged in his post that the same Senate parliamentary rule that excluded his initial effort could apply to his revised draft. "I'm doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward," Lee said.

Bipartisan pushback and a 'significant win' for public lands

Lee's optimism isn't shared by a number of his fellow Republicans. Many "feel like this is overshadowing the president's agenda," said conservative environmental activist Benji Backer to E&E News. Ultimately, Lee's "most formidable opponents" on the proposal "had been his own colleagues" in the Senate, including Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, E&E said. Perhaps most surprising has been the staunch opposition of arch-conservative Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former interior secretary, who spoke out emphatically against land transfers earlier this year. "I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands," Zinke said in a press release after a similar House proposal last month. "Once the land is sold, we will never get it back."

Lee's "ideological crusade against public lands" is not a "serious proposal to raise revenue for the federal government," said Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala in a statement. Accordingly, defeating his effort is a "significant win for public lands."