Western lawmakers who’ve teamed up to advance public land protections said Tuesday that they expect some congressional Republicans to again look for more ways to sell federal land.
“I don’t think the threat is gone,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), during a Zoom call with the outdoors group Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors, or HECHO.
Zinke, who served as Interior secretary during the first Trump administration and was the leading Republican voice opposed to land sales earlier this year, co-founded the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus with co-chair Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) in May. At the time, some Republicans were trying to include the sale of public lands in the budget reconciliation package that became the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The effort was ultimately quashed after significant bipartisan opposition.
Zinke acknowledged on Tuesday that some land sales or exchanges are commonplace and had occurred when he was leading the Interior Department. But decisions about selling land were limited in scope and followed a process to consider potential conflicts like Native American treaty rights, water rights and subsurface minerals, he said.
