Public Lands Sale Once Again Removed From Spending Bill Amid Backlash

After trying multiple times to include a measure to sell off large tracts of public lands as part of a sweeping budget reconciliation bill, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) announced last night that he would withdraw the proposal amid widespread bipartisan backlash.

Repeat attempts to sell off public lands have proven deeply unpopular with the American public. Five House Republicans vowed to vote down the “Big, Beautiful Bill” when it returned to their side of the Legislature if the public lands sell-off was not removed. Meanwhile, some Senate Republicans had already floated the idea of introducing an amendment to strip the controversial provision from the bill. 

In announcing the withdrawal, Lee did not directly address the pushback within his own party but cited procedural difficulties, misinformation, and public feedback.

“While there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation — and in some cases, outright lies — about my bill, many people brought forward sincere concern,” he wrote in a statement on social media. “Because of the strict constraints of the budget reconciliation process, I was unable to secure clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to American families — not to China, not to BlackRock, and not to any foreign interests,” he continued.

Public Backlash

Conservation and outdoor recreation groups have consistently opposed any sale of public lands and have spearheaded grassroots resistance to the various sell-off measures that have been floated in recent months.

Last month, a proposal to sell off half a million acres of public lands was removed from the House version of the bill before it moved to the Senate. There, Lee’s original proposal calling for the sale of between 2.2 and 3.3 million acres was eventually blocked by the Senate parliamentarian.

The Senator’s decision to fully withdraw his revised provision, which would have mandated the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of federal land close to population centers, marks the latest victory for outdoor advocates.

“Outdoor Alliance is pleased to see Senator Lee remove his provision to sell off public lands from the Senate budget reconciliation bill,” said Outdoor Alliance CEO Adam Cramer in a press release. “We are grateful to the millions of outdoor enthusiasts who spoke up about keeping public lands public in the last few weeks — this victory is because of your voices. We are also grateful to the lawmakers who spoke out to ensure that this country continues to protect public lands and waters for all Americans.”

The Senate has now voted to advance the tax and spending bill, minus the public lands measure. If the bill passes, it will return to the House and must pass there again before being sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law. Trump has called on Republicans to pass the bill in time for him to sign it on July 4, an ambitious timeline.