Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana isn’t giving up his fight to strip thousands of acres of public land sales from the GOP-led megabill, as a top Republican said he expected the matter will be “sorted out” ahead of a potential floor vote this week.
On Monday, Zinke told POLITICO’s E&E News that he is seeking to insert language to the tax cut, energy and national security bill before it reaches the House Rules Committee early Wednesday morning. It’s likely the last chance to kill the sale or swap of nearly 500,000 acres in Nevada and Utah before the sweeping measure hits the House floor.
Zinke said he’s hoping to include his changes in what’s known as a “manager’s amendment,” a hodgepodge of final policy tweaks to the bill. But it’s still unclear if Zinke’s measure will be incorporated as Republicans race to appease various corners of their caucus ahead of the vote on the bill.
“I’ve given a proposal … that I think is very reasonable [and] consistent with present policy,” Zinke said. “There’s a process behind it. This breaks the process. So I haven’t changed my opinion at all.”
