Provision To Sell Half Million Acres Of Public Land Stripped From Federal Budget Bill

Hunters and anglers are cheering this evening after a bid to sell off or exchange nearly half a million acres of public land in the West was stripped out of a US House reconciliation budget bill following pushback from within the ranks.

Outdoor Life reports that six Western Republicans, led by Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, refused to support the bill if it kept the provision in, leading to a “manager’s amendment” on the part of the House Rules Committee to pull it.

“SUCCESS!” cheered Zinke in a Facebook post this evening. “The provision to strip the sale of 450,000 acres of public lands is out of the budget reconciliation bill. This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn’t creating more land. Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism … our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands. I don’t yield to pressure; I only yield to higher principle.”

The land selloffs would have funded elements of the so-called “one big, beautiful” budget bill, per Politico

Zinke, who was also the Secretary of the Interior for nearly two years in the first Trump Administration, was thanked by the National Wildlife Federation.

“In recent weeks, hunters, anglers, conservationists, recreationists, and rural community leaders have expressed outrage at this proposal,” said NWF’s David Willms, in a press release. “Thank you to Rep. Ryan Zinke and his colleagues who listened to their constituents and worked with House leaders to eliminate the provision from the budget reconciliation bill. We urge all members of Congress to refrain from similar attacks on America’s public lands.”

NWF said the provision would have “set a dangerous precedent that would open the door to the further disposal of public lands without public input, and could eventually lead to widespread sale or transfer of public lands all across the nation.”

The organization said an existing law has guided federal land sales and transfers for nearly 50 years, while another requires that proceeds are plowed back into land stewardship.

“This provision would have undermined all of that,” said Wilms.

NWF also thanked Idaho Representative Mike Simpson for his work to defeat the provision, which would have – initially, at least – targeted federal lands in Nevada and Utah.

Tonight’s news had Backcountry Hunters and Anglers declaring “a major win.”

“This is a landmark moment for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and every American who values our nation’s public lands legacy,” said Patrick Berry, BHA president and CEO, in another press release. “When the BHA community shows up, speaks out, and takes action, we prove we can defy the odds and stop bad ideas before they become bad law.” 

“I think we learned two important lessons here today. First, given the swift and vociferous opposition to this public land sale exhibited by the hunting and fishing community, I think it’s safe to say that elected officials will need to think twice before trying to pull another stunt like this,” stated Mark Kenyon of MeatEater in a blog post hailing public involvement in killing the provision. And secondly, our voices still matter. This land sale would not have been pulled without the phone calls and emails and messages that made it politically viable to do so. To every hunter and angler out there who contacted an elected official, YOU did this. Don’t ever forget it.”

However, BHA was warning that the battle wasn’t over.

“As the Senate considers a budget reconciliation bill, hunters and anglers across the nation must continue the groundswell of opposition to public land sales so it is understood that this is a line in the sand that we will not allow to be crossed,” stated Kaden McArthur, BHA policy and government relations director.

And the Missoula-based org says the underlying budget bill still eyes requiring energy leasing in ANWR, rescinds BLM conservation, habitat and other project funding, among other troubling items.

Noted the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, “America’s 640 million acres of national public lands – including our National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands – are the setting for irreplaceable hunting and fishing access to millions of Americans,” “Many of the best trout and salmon rivers originate on federal lands, and these public landscapes provide intact habitat that is essential for the long-term survival of big game species. Federally managed public lands are the backbone of America’s outdoor recreation industry, which contributed $639.5 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2023.”

“There are many complex challenges to managing millions of acres of federal public lands for multiple uses that result in areas of disagreement,” TCRP also acknowledged. “Collaboration, as it has been for decades, is the way toward successful and lasting multiple-use management for industries, wildlife, and public hunting and fishing access. TRCP is committed to being a part of that better way forward. When we unite, we win.”

Preach.