Republican Senator Mike Lee announced on Sunday, June 29, that he had dropped the planned sale of public lands across 11 Western states, including Colorado, Utah, and California from the FY25 Budget Reconciliation bill. Initially, the Utah senator had proposed to direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to sell between 2.2 and 3.3 million acres over five years. The proposal was met with strong opposition by environmental groups and Lee announced at night that the plan also faced opposition from within his own party. At least four Republican senators from Western states had said they planned to vote for an amendment to strike the proposal from the bill.
Senator Lee announced on Twitter (X) that he was removing his proposal to sell federal lands due to “sincere concerns” from the public and the lack of safeguards to prevent sales to foreign buyers like “China” or “BlackRock.” He said misinformation surrounded the bill, but acknowledged the “strict constraints” of the process made it impossible to ensure lands would go only to “American families.” However, Lee maintained that “the federal government owns far too much land” and pledged to keep working to make it more usable for rural communities, adding that public feedback “helped strengthen this bill.”
Tracy Stone-Manning, President of The Wilderness Society, chalked the withdrawal up as a victory, stating: “Americans from all corners spoke out in unprecedented numbers, showing that our public lands are common ground, uniting us in the fight to protect them. Every member of Congress who listened and stood up to protect access to our favorite trails, fishing holes and camp sites deserves thanks. Future generations are counting on them to remain vigilant against any more attempts to sell off our public lands—including the threats that we know are coming from the administration. Now we turn to fighting back on the other harmful provisions of this bill, which aim to lease millions of acres to oil and gas corporations at rock-bottom prices.”
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The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) praised the removal of proposed public land sales from the Senate’s budget bill, calling it a major win for hunters, anglers, and public land advocates. “This outcome affirms our long-held belief: when we unite, we win,” TRCP CEO Joel Pedersen said on Instagram, who credited bipartisan lawmakers and grassroots opposition for defeating the measure. “Reconciliation is not the appropriate vehicle for public land sales,” he added, emphasizing the importance of public lands to outdoor traditions and local economies.
