Republicans want to sell federal land for affordable housing
Senate Republicans want to sell millions of acres of federal land in order to build affordable housing in the Western United States. According to their data, there is a nationwide shortage of 4.5 million homes and 7.1 million affordable homes.
A newly added provision to President Trump’s so-called “big beautiful” tax and budget package would require the government to sell a minimum of 2,190,000 acres and a maximum of 3,285,000 acres currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.
How much land does the government own?
As of Friday, June 13, the federal government owned approximately 640 million acres of land in the United States, or 28% of the total of 2.27 billion acres. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pointed out that some states have a substantially higher percentage of federal ownership, such as Utah, where the federal government owns 70% of the land.
“That’s not sustainable. It’s not fair. It’s not serving the Americans who actually live here,” Lee said in a video announcement.
Republicans contended that the federal government’s land ownership is depriving communities of needed space for housing and inhibiting growth. President Trump supported the land sale and has previously pledged to open it up to “large scale housing construction.” The Secretaries of the Interior and Housing and Urban Development are working to make this idea a reality.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
The federal government owns 28% of 2.27 billion acres of existing land in the United States.
State eligibility
The states eligible for the sale include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Republicans said that this proposal would help relieve the housing crisis. They estimate it would generate $5 billion to $10 billion in revenue for the government over the next decade.
What sites are off limits?
The bill would establish a process for states and local governments to nominate federally owned areas that they believe would help meet their housing and community needs. National Parks, wilderness and recreation areas were off limits under the proposal.
These provisions were originally included in the House version of the budget package, but Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., had them removed with the support of at least two other members.
“I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn’t creating more land,” said Zinke. “Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism… our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands. I don’t yield to pressure; I only yield to higher principle.”
The House will need to reapprove the budget package after the Senate makes changes. It was unclear if Zinke and those who opposed the single provision would be willing to vote against the entire package if it’s included.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
