Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is speaking softly to his colleagues about his objections to selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in the GOP’s tax, energy and national security megabill.
But Zinke, a self-described Theodore Roosevelt acolyte, is also carrying a big stick as he threatens to vote against legislation that holds the keys to President Donald Trump’s agenda unless the land sales are removed — a dynamic that gives him nearly all the leverage over his colleagues in negotiations to strip the land sales.
“As written, I’m a hard no,” Zinke said in an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News on Thursday, when asked about ongoing talks. “It’s a red line to me.”
Republicans for months have warred over how to pay for their multitrillion-dollar bill. They have advanced knotty issues like deep cuts to Medicaid and nutrition benefits that threaten the votes of moderate members. Zinke’s red line on public lands sales adds yet another hurdle for Speaker Mike Johnson to sort through as he tries to advance the legislation before summer.
