Thanks To Public Outcry, Senator Mike Lee Removed His Public Land Sale Provision From The “One Big Beautiful Bill”

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” will be without Senator Mike Lee’s controversial public land sale provision… and that’s a win for the American people.

President Donald Trump’s bill – which he and other Republicans are vehemently working to get passed before July 4th – will now move on minus the provision that the Utah Republican worked up to allow for land owned by the federal government to be sold publicly. Conservatives strongly opposed the idea, especially outdoorsmen, which would have put upwards of 120 million acres of public land up for sale.

Of course, this isn’t the first time this was proposed… in 2017, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz made a similar proposal to sell 3.3 million acres of public land, which also faced significant criticism and was withdrawn.

As you can see here, the public land that was aimed to be sold in the provision included recreational areas, wilderness research areas, wildlife habitats, and corridors used for big game migration:

As you might imagine, trying to pass that along in a budget bill, rather than holding hearings or allowing for input from the public, did not go over well at all. Senator Mike Lee faced backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike, and the outcry from U.S. citizens who appreciate access to public land was arguably the loudest.

So this past Saturday, the Utah Republican announced that he was going to remove the public land sale provision from the One Big Beautiful Bill, as he explained online:

“Over the past several weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to members of the community, local leaders, and stakeholders across the country. While there has been a tremendous amount of misinformation – and in some cases, outright lies – about my bill, many people brought forward sincere concerns.

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. For that reason, I’ve made the decision to withdraw the federal land sales provision from the bill.”

Notice that Mike Lee didn’t say he backed away from it because of the backlash… he walked it back because he couldn’t get safeguards to make sure the land – if it were to be sold – was only sold to or for American families. We all know who would’ve been buying that public land… oil and gas giants, massive private equity companies, real estate developers and investment firms like BlackRock.

Lee also went on to lament that he still feels as though the provision is necessary, mainly because he believes that the federal government isn’t properly utilizing the land that it owns:

“I continue to believe the federal government owns far too much land – land it is mismanaging and in many cases ruining for the next generation. Under Democratic presidents, massive swaths of the West are being locked away from the people who live there, with no meaningful recourse…

President Trump promised to put underutilized federal land to work for American families, and I look forward to helping him achieve that in a way that respects the legacy of our public lands and reflects the values of the people who use them most. I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to offer thoughtful feedback. Your choices helped strengthen this bill, and they will continue to shape the path forward.”

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Though Mike Lee might have a point that the federal government does mismanage the land that it owns (it mismanages everything it does) many opposing the provision have stated that the solution to that problem isn’t to start publicly selling the land – it’s to begin managing the land better (especially in the Western states).

Safe to say that pulling the public land provision was the right move, and that the people of the United States deserve to have some sort of say as to what happens with the public land. You hate to see government leaders try to sneak things into bills, knowing that it’ll be overlooked and pass into law (happens more than you think).

And though the public land selling idea was shelved, the One Big Beautiful Bill still offers a number of cuts to organizations that help manage the public land that currently still exists – like the National Parks Service and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

But stay vigilant… if powerful people want to take this land, they’ll certainly try again. Call it a win… for now…

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The post Thanks To Public Outcry, Senator Mike Lee Removed His Public Land Sale Provision From The “One Big Beautiful Bill” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.