A proposal by Utah Senator Mike Lee to sell millions of acres of public land in the West sparked a conservative revolt and widespread criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. The plan, which aimed to address housing shortages in the region, was met with fierce opposition from hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, and many conservatives who see public lands as an American birthright.
Lee’s scaled-back version of the proposal took Forest Service land out of the equation and limited sales to within five miles of population centers. However, even this watered-down plan was rejected by several Republican senators, including Montana’s Bob Menendez and Idaho’s Jim Risch.
Conservatives who initially supported Lee’s idea began to distance themselves from the proposal after realizing it would have allowed for significant foreign ownership, particularly from companies like BlackRock and China. Many of them instead proposed reforms to improve and speed up existing processes for federal land swaps or transfers.
“I said, if you people continue down this path, the pressure you guys are going to expose yourselves to is immense,” said Randy Newberg, a Montana hunter and podcaster who opposed Lee’s proposal. “Westerners live here because of what those lands provide them – real freedom.”
The backlash against Lee’s proposal was swift and decisive, with many conservatives criticizing it as a form of economic royalty that most people see as un-American. Even some liberal advocates acknowledged the victory was carried over by MAGA Republicans and others on the right.
The senator’s office declined to comment, but Lee accused his critics of trying to “dupe conservatives” with misinformation about the plan. However, many experts say the proposal was a misreading of Trump-era conservatism, which has shifted towards a nationalist movement that emphasizes preserving public lands.
Trump himself signed an executive order seeking to preserve public lands and established a council tasked with doing so. The order was pushed by a conservative environmentalist who heads Nature Is Nonpartisan, a newly formed advocacy group.
As the debate continues, many are calling for lawmakers to get the public lands issue right, ensuring that everyone in the West has access to these iconic natural spaces.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/07/09/public-lands-sale-conservative-opposition