WA Wild Statement on Public Lands Sell-off Proposal in Senate Budget Reconiclliation
Senator Mike Lee’s proposal would force the sale of millions of acres of public lands for development to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy.
June 12, 2025 | Yesterday, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee released Budget Reconciliation Bill text which includes the mandatory disposal of 2.2 to 3.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and national forest lands.
Despite a similar proposal being stripped from the House version after public outcry and strong bipartisan opposition, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has dramatically escalated the effort, expanding the scope from 500,000 acres in Utah and Nevada up to a staggering 3.2 million acres across 11 states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Not only would these land sales permanently extend Trump’s first-term tax cuts that only benefit the wealthiest, but they would do so at the expense of the millions of everyday Americans who depend on and cherish access to our public lands. This is an unprecedented assault on our nation’s natural heritage and sends a clear signal that the Trump administration remains fully committed to dismantling public lands in service of a radical, corporate-driven agenda.
“Public lands are one of America’s greatest treasures and are beloved across demographics. This massive selloff through Budget Reconciliation is reckless and not in the best interest of the public.” said Tom Uniack, Washingon Wild’s Executive Director. “Washington Wild calls on the Senate to remove this provision to keep public lands in the hands of the American people.”
A bipartisan coalition in the House stood up to protect our public lands—now it’s the Senate’s turn. Join us in urging Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell to reject the sell-off and safeguard the lands that belong to all of us.
