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yesterday

Senate Republicans Revise Public Land Sale to Up to 1.2 Million Acres

Sen. Mike Lee refocused the sale on BLM land within five miles of population centers for housing projects in a measure Democrats vow to challenge on the Senate floor.

FILE: Two men wearing camouflage clothing and backpacks hike through a forest in Washington state while hunting elk using a crossbow.
A man fly-fishes at Fish Lake on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon.
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington speaks to reporters following a weekly Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 3, 2025, in Washington, DC.
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Overview

  • Under the revised plan, 612,500 to 1.225 million acres of Bureau of Land Management territory would be sold for affordable housing or infrastructure, limited to tracts within five miles of designated population centers.
  • The change follows a Senate parliamentarian ruling that the original 2.2 – 3.3 million-acre proposal violated Byrd Rule requirements for budget reconciliation.
  • Senate Democrats led by Maria Cantwell and Martin Heinrich promise to block the sale, arguing public lands belong to all Americans and should remain under federal stewardship.
  • Local officials and conservationists warn the divestment could cut off trail access, undermine community open spaces and threaten the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy.
  • A Senate floor vote is expected soon as lawmakers determine whether the scaled-back provision can pass under reconciliation and withstand mounting bipartisan resistance.