Wyomingites concerned about Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s proposal to sell millions of acres of federal public land in Wyoming and 10 other Western states may be able to relax for the time being.
After bipartisan backlash over his plan, Lee finally waved the white flag Saturday regarding getting the sale of public lands into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Lee’s proposal isn’t likely to become law anytime soon, either, said former Assistant Interior Secretary Rob Wallace and Mike Tongour, a former aide to two U.S. senators.
Although Lee backed off of his proposal, he said he remains convinced that the federal government owns “far too much land — land that it is mismanaging, and in many cases ruining, for the next generation.”
“President Trump promised to put underutilized federal land to work for American families, and I look forward to helping him achieve that in a way that respects the legacy of our public lands and reflects the values of the people that use them most,” Lee said on X.
Going forward, Lee or another member of Congress looking to dispose of federal land has two options: introduce a standalone bill or try to include the revised proposal in another budget reconciliation bill.
Needs To Be Its Own Bill
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said selling public land should be proposed as a regular bill.
“The people of Wyoming deserve to have their voices heard on such an important matter,” Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily. “If a bill like this is to be considered in the future, it must be thoroughly debated through regular order with committee hearings and with input from all concerned.”
Getting a standalone bill approved isn’t likely because 60 votes would be needed to get it through the Senate, Wallace added.
A party looking to move legislation through the Senate needs 60 votes to end debate and stop a filibuster by the other party on the bill in question.
“That is impossible, in my opinion,” Wallace added.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the 119th Congress, Democrats hold 45 seats and there are two independents (who caucus with the Democrats), meaning all 53 Republicans plus seven Democrats would be needed to end debate on a public land sale bill.
Neither Barrasso nor Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, offered an opinion on a potential new proposal.
“The proposal was removed from consideration, and I look forward to having further conversations in Wyoming about our public lands and their management,” Lummis told Cowboy State Daily.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, also did not offer an opinion.
It is important to recognize that this is not a new conversation,” Hageman told Cowboy State Daily. “Americans have been talking for decades about public land sales and better land management.
“Discussions around the Senate's proposal are not the beginning of this debate, but the continuation of a long‑standing focus on local control, housing needs, and land-use efficiency.”
Revised Proposal Also Pulled
Democrats are not going to go along with sales of public lands, said Tongour, who worked for U.S. Senators from Wyoming and South Carolina.
“I can’t imagine they’d be in support of that,” Tongour added. “What Lee’s legislation illustrated is that there’s a core of Republican Western senators that would be opposed to it as well.”
Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, both Republicans from Montana, celebrated Lee’s decision to remove his proposal from the bill. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, both Republicans from Idaho, issued statements saying they were opposed to Lee’s proposal.
“The math is not there,” Tongour added.
Budget reconciliation brings its own challenges, Lee continued in his statement.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled Lee’s original proposal violated the Byrd Rule, which says that nothing extraneous can be in budget reconciliation bills.
Lee introduced a revised proposal Saturday, but withdrew it prior to the Senate’s consideration of the budget bill.
It is unclear whether Lee’s revised proposal would have cleared the Byrd Rule or had enough votes to make it out of the Senate. It is also unlikely the revised proposal would have been approved by the House of Representatives.
“Because of the strict constraints of the budget reconciliation process, I was unable to secure clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to American families — not to China, not to BlackRock and not to any foreign interest,” Lee said.
‘Not A Sprint, It’s A Marathon’
Wyoming Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, told Jake Nichols on Monday’s Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake that she believes Lee’s decision to be cause for celebration.
“We should all be happy and go enjoy our public land because this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” she added.
She added she believes the idea of selling public lands isn’t going away anytime soon. Thenext proposal will specify that the land would be transferred from the federal government to states.
Joe Jackson, senior communications adviser for Lummis, said they’re not tracking any legislation on the topic at the moment.
“Just because the math is not there doesn’t mean that it might not be more tailored in the future and vetted a little more carefully,” Tongour said. “Just because it can be tried doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be anytime soon.”
“What’s likely is going to happen is they’re going to go back to that route because they think they can trick the American people into being willing to sell off their public lands under the idea of small government,” Provenza said.
Hageman also said she saw the proposal evolving.
“This debate is not going away, but it is evolving toward smarter, community‑focused land use, not wholesale privatization,” she said.
Transferring land from the federal government to the states has the support of former state Sen. Ray Peterson, R-Cowley.
“I don't have any concerns about the federal government approaching the state of Wyoming or other states … and saying, ‘Would you guys be interested in taking the management over from the Big Horn National Forest,’” Peterson said. “I’d take it in a minute.”
Northeast Wyoming outdoorsman Owen Miller said he believes Lee’s original proposal to be part of a larger effort.
“I think it’s opening the door to, ‘We got this (public land) and it went OK. So, we’re just going to keep selling public land,’” Miller previously told Cowboy State Daily. “That’s what I’m afraid of. My theory is that if we give them an inch, they’ll take a foot. Or maybe a mile.”
Provenza said she thinks states will prove unable to manage the lands and “they’ll be gone.” People need to stay vigilant and connected to other people who care about public lands, she added.
Matthew Christian can be reached at matthew@cowboystatedaily.com.
