Federal Public Lands Sale Not Dead As Lee Works On Scaled-Back Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senate Republicans said Wednesday they have no timetable for releasing a new scaled-back proposal from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to sell public lands in the West, after the Senate referee ruled his first plan violated the budget process by straying too far into policymaking.

Lee posted on X Tuesday that he is working on new language. He made the post in the aftermath of a ruling by Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate’s parliamentarian, that his original plan should not be included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The Senate GOP is employing a process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats and move the massive package on a simple-majority vote. But the downside for the GOP is that the language must fall squarely in the realm of taxes, spending and debt in accordance with a 1974 budget-making law.

Lee’s original provision of a mandatory selloff of 2 million to 3 million acres of public lands in the next five years has been highly contentious in Wyoming. It’s also one of dozens of items that Democrats have challenged over the past few weeks. 

MacDonough has handed wins to both sides as Senate GOP members draft and redraft language. Voting on a final package is expected this week or next week.

While Lee’s original land-sale provision is dead, he can — and has vowed to — reintroduce a modified plan.

Barrasso’s Office: Rewrite Not Done Yet

A spokeswoman for U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming said Wednesday afternoon that revised text from Lee has not been released, and that there is no timetable for it.

“Senator Lee listened to concerns being raised and has agreed to make changes to his proposal in response,” Laura Mengelkamp, the Barrasso spokeswoman, told Cowboy State Daily. “The new text has not been released yet and is still being reviewed by the Senate parliamentarian.”

Barrasso, the second-ranking Senate Republican, serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which is chaired by Lee and includes other Mountain West senators.

“It’s unclear if [Lee’s] new language will be included in the final bill,” Mengelkamp said. “Senator Barrasso continues to closely monitor this ongoing process and hear from people across Wyoming.”

Lummis Spokesman: Plans In Flux

Joe Jackson, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act “remains in flux with numerous components still being finalized, and no definitive text has been presented.”

He added: “Senator Lummis continues to engage with Wyoming constituents regarding public land policy and will have more to say once the Senate Parliamentarian completes their review."

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, recently authored a guest column for Cowboy State Daily in which she expressed support for Lee’s original plan. 

Hageman’s office did not immediately reply to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment Wednesday on the state of the plan in the Senate.

Original Proposal Drew Heat

Lee’s original proposal called for less than 1% of lands under control of the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to be sold for housing and infrastructure.

Despite limiting such development to a small portion of those agencies’ vast swaths of land in the West, Lee’s plan drew opposition across partisan and ideological lines. Hunters, environmentalists and others derided the plan.

U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, Idaho Republicans, have come out against Lee’s original plan,  Their offices did not reply to Cowboy State Daily emails Wednesday seeking comment from them.

Wyoming’s four living former governors told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday they are not surprised by the bipartisan backlash to Lee’s original plan.

“When you start talking about selling lands that people value and are used to having available,” it won’t go over well, said former Gov. Matt Mead.

Sean Barry can be reached at sean@cowboystatedaily.com.