A sweeping federal land sale proposal by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has been struck from the Senate version of President Donald Trump’s signature tax and immigration budget package following a ruling by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.
Lee’s plan would have opened millions of acres of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land for sale across 11 Western states.
The proposal, which was part of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s budget reconciliation bill, targeted the sale of 0.5% to 0.75% of BLM and Forest Service lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. In all, about 82 million acres in Alaska alone were eligible for consideration under this plan, although the total mandated sale across all states was capped at 2.2 to 3.3 million acres over five years.
The parliamentarian, who is the rules arbiter of the Senate, deemed the proposal incompatible with the strict requirements of the budget reconciliation process. Elizabeth MacDonough ruled on Monday that the provision violated the “Byrd” rule, which mandates that reconciliation measures must have a direct impact on federal spending, revenue, or the debt limit.
Lee signaled he is not backing down.
Lee wrote on X, “Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that. Thanks to YOU—the AMERICAN PEOPLE—here’s what I plan to do: 1. REMOVE ALL Forest Service land. We are NOT selling off our forests. 2. SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE the amount of BLM land in the bill. Only land WITHIN 5 MILES of population centers is eligible. 3. Establish FREEDOM ZONES to ensure these lands benefit AMERICAN FAMILIES. 4. PROTECT our farmers, ranchers, and recreational users. They come first. Yes, the Byrd Rule limits what can go in the reconciliation bill, but I’m doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward. Stay tuned. We’re just getting started.”
A revised proposal has already been reportedly submitted to the parliamentarian for consideration, removing Forest Service lands from the sale plan and limits eligible BLM parcels to those within five miles of existing population centers, among other restrictions.
In total, MacDonough has ruled 32 provisions out of bounds under reconciliation, including several other energy and resource-related items. Among them are the fast-tracking of offshore oil and gas development, the undoing of Biden-era fee reductions for renewable energy projects on federal land, and forcing a full vote on the Ambler Road in Alaska.
The new recommended changes look good to me.
No Queens!!
That psychopath appointed by dirty Harry Reid is exceeding her authority and refusing to advance critical content in the bill. There’s no reason ‘ except that she’s a radicalized pedocrat