Congress Removes Public Land Sale Provision From Nevada, Utah Budget Bill

A provision to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of federally owned public land in Nevada and Utah, initially introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei and Rep. Celeste Maloy, was removed from a Republican tax and spending reconciliation bill after backlash from conservationists, local officials, and Democrats. Nevada Democrats, including Rep. Dina Titus, opposed the amendment because it included parcels in Clark County, which Amodei does not represent, and because proceeds from land sales would go to the U.S. Treasury instead of staying in Nevada for local use. Rep. Ryan Zinke, former Interior Secretary, played a key role in convincing GOP leadership to strip the land sale language, calling large-scale public land divestment a "red line." The amendment's removal was finalized after negotiations involving Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders. Public land advocates and conservation groups argued that the sales would bypass public input and undermine conservation efforts, with some analyses revealing the land affected could total over 1.4 million acres. The issue sparked bipartisan concern over federal land management and revenue allocation, particularly in rapidly growing western counties facing infrastructure challenges.