2 million+ acres of public land sales in Senate budget rec package: “a betrayal of future generations”
San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, UT
Benj Wadsworth
Bill sets dangerous precedent to fast-track land disposal, includes mandated lease sales
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 11, 2025) — Budget reconciliation bill text released by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee includes a mandate for the sale of over 2 million acres of public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The bill calls for “disposal” of these lands with few restrictions and allows the secretary of the interior great discretion to determine whether the sale of a given tract meets “community needs.”
It’s a shocking about-face after bipartisan criticism forced a public land sale proposal out of the budget reconciliation bill that passed the House in May. The Senate budget reconciliation bill also contains provisions to mandate more oil and gas leasing (including on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), expedite road construction through Gates of the Arctic National Park and require mass timber sales in national forests, among other measures.
Michael Carroll, director of the BLM campaign at The Wilderness Society, made the following statement about the news:
"Americans disagree about a lot of things, but most of us are on the same page about keeping public lands in public hands. Shoving the sale of public lands back into the budget reconciliation bill, all to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, is a betrayal of future generations and folks on both sides of the aisle. Senator Mike Lee and his anti-public lands partners are setting a dangerous precedent for fast-tracking sales of public lands, and they’re threatening Americans’ access to our outstanding outdoor spaces. We call on lawmakers who cherish public lands to reject any inclusion of public land sales in the budget reconciliation bill.”
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The coming days will serve as a test for Western lawmakers who have publicly opposed the sale of public lands, including Montana Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy and Idaho Senators James Risch and Mike Crapo: Will they stand with the people in their states, and the majority of Americans, who overwhelmingly want to see these lands remain public and accessible, or will they succumb to pressure and put the nation’s extraordinary natural resources on the auction block to fund tax cuts for the rich? The latter path would not only reduce public access on millions of acres but establish a model for members of Congress to liquidate America’s lands at any time to pay for their pet projects, with little benefit for local communities.
Contact: max_greenberg@tws.org | newsmedia@tws.org
