Sen. Mike Lee Drops controversial land sale from the “One Big Beautiful Bill”

A forested area of the Uintas on June 16, 2025. Photo: Marina Knight // TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — Sen. Mike Lee on Sunday withdrew his contested plan to mandate the sale of millions of acres of federal land, telling constituents on his socials that budget‐reconciliation rules prevented him from adding “clear, enforceable safeguards” to keep the parcels from foreign buyers.

 

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The land sale, part of a sweeping GOP budget package nicknamed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” would have authorized the federal government to dispose of up to 258 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service property across 10 Western states and Alaska, including more than 18.7 million acres in Utah.

Lee’s decision comes days after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the amendment violated the Byrd Rule, forcing supporters to clear a 60-vote threshold instead of a simple majority.

In Sunday’s post, the Utah Republican acknowledged that misinformation had swirled around the proposal but also recognized “sincere concerns” raised by local leaders and stakeholders. “I’ve made the decision to withdraw the federal land-sales provision from the bill,” he wrote, adding that he still believes the federal government “owns far too much land” and pledged to revisit the issue outside the constraints of reconciliation.

Opposition to the plan had been mounting for weeks. Outdoor industry groups warned of economic fallout, and Summit County officials said the measure threatened access to recreation and wildfire resilience in the Wasatch Back.

Introduced in mid-June, the amendment sought the largest public-land divestiture in U.S. history. It excluded national parks, monuments and designated wilderness areas but did not specify which parcels could be sold, prompting concerns that swaths of public land, including parts of Parley’s Canyon and the Uinta Mountains, might be put on the block.

Lee’s statement offered no timeline for reintroducing a modified plan. For now, the budget bill is expected to move forward without the land-sale provision when the Senate returns after the July 4 recess.