A plan by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to sell off federally owned lands in the west has been stopped.
Senator Lee backed off the plan following intense scrutiny from from hunters, fisherman, outdoor experts, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Lee, who had originally proposed an amendment to the bill that would have required two U.S. agencies holding public lands to sell between 0.5 and 0.75 percent of the land for housing development, withdrew his proposal Saturday.
Experts, like Gabriella Hoffman, the director of the Center for Energy & Conservation at the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), viewed Lee’s proposed amendment as a poison pill that would have tanked the crucial tax bill.
“They should have focused on the green subsidy repeals over something as controversial as a public land sale, which is actually quite unpopular even with Western conservatives,” Hoffman told the Caller.
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“It’s incredible to me that someone like Mike doesn’t actually take into account of what the feelings of the public might be, he just puts the proposal out there and hopes there’s no backlash,” John Ray, an ambassador for Highlander Adventure, a global hiking event series, told the Caller.
I have just concluded productive discussions with leadership. I will be leading an amendment to strip the sale of public lands from this bill. I will vote yes on the motion to proceed.
We must quickly pass the Big Beautiful Bill to advance President Trump’s agenda.
— Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) June 28, 2025
Mike Lee has yet to comment publicly about his decision to remove the amendment from the bill.
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