The Byrd Rule, Public Lands Sell-Off, and What Comes Next
A major public lands giveaway just got struck from the reconciliation bill. Join us to unpack the ruling - and prepare for round two.
Late last night, the Senate Parliamentarian struck down Senator Mike Lee’s attempt to force a massive public lands sell-off, ruling that his provision violated the Byrd Rule and must be removed from the budget reconciliation bill. Under the Byrd Rule, provisions that are “extraneous” to the federal budget - those that don’t meaningfully change government spending or revenues - can’t be included in a reconciliation bill. Lee’s scheme, which would have required the federal government to sell off up to 3 million acres of land and made over 250 million acres newly eligible for disposal, failed that test.
At 1 pm ET today, I’ll be joined for a live virtual conversation to break down what this ruling really means and what happens next. We’ll be joined by Congressman Gabe Vasquez, Co-Chair of the Congressional Public Lands Caucus, Ryan “Cal” Callaghan, Director of Conservation at Meateater, veterans from across the American West, and our partners at Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ Armed Forces Initiative. Together, we’ll talk about how veterans can fight back and make sure Senator Lee and his billionaire backers never get away with this scheme. You can register here.
If the reconciliation bill moves forward without the land sell-off language, it’ll mark a major victory for the American West - and for every veteran, tribal leader, hunter, and public land defender who helped bring this backroom deal into the daylight. But the fight isn’t over.
Senator Mike Lee didn’t back down - he got blocked by procedure. He tried to sneak a generational land grab into a budget bill, hoping no one would notice. But people noticed. And they fought back.
Still, Lee isn’t done. He may try to rewrite and reinsert similar language in the same bill or find another vehicle to accomplish what he’s been trying to do for years: privatize America’s public lands for the benefit of developers and private equity firms. This isn’t a new crusade for him. In 2017, Lee championed efforts to gut protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. He’s repeatedly introduced bills to “dispose” of federal lands and hand management to states, knowing full well that many states lack the budget or inclination to preserve access for the public.
Veterans are watching. We fought for these lands, we train on these lands, we heal on these lands, and we’re not letting them go quietly. The pressure must stay on.
Stay vigilant.