Trump wants to sell off US public lands, faces resistance from Republicans

The Trump administration has proposed selling federal public lands to states, tribes and local governments. Bipartisan resistance and strict federal laws could significantly constrain the plan.The Trump administration has proposed selling federal public lands to states, tribes and local governments. (Reuters photo)Montana,Nov 12, 2026 07:17 ISTThe Donald Trump administration has proposed selling US public lands to states, tribal authorities and local governments as part of an effort to reduce the size of federally owned property, according to a report by news agency Press Trust of India.The US Interior Department's new five-year strategic plan says selling federal property would allow the government to focus its resources on lands of national significance. However, officials did not define such lands or provide details about the scale and location of possible sales.The proposal has drawn opposition from lawmakers, including Republican Representative Ryan Zinke, Trump's former interior secretary. The resistance indicates that the plan could face difficulties in Congress, even before Democrats assume the majority in January.The plan also proposes land transfers and exchanges to support increased energy production, a key part of the administration's policies favouring fossil fuels. It reflects the administration's view that most public lands should be used as assets rather than preserved. The Interior Department manages more than 1.9 million square kilometres of land, an area larger than Texas and California combined, as well as vast underground mineral reserves. This places the department at the centre of a decades-old debate over whether the federal government controls too much land.The Associated Press emailed Interior Department officials on Wednesday seeking comments and further details. Most public lands are in western US states. In some states, the federal government controls a large majority of the land, protecting it from possible exploitation but also limiting development. Nearly 80 per cent of Nevada, for example, is under federal control.Interior officials said a portion of the proceeds from any land sale would be returned to the buyer for conservation work elsewhere.However, it remains uncertain whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can achieve the administration's objectives without support from Congress. Federal law places significant restrictions on the sale of public lands, Mark Squillace, a professor of natural resources law at the University of Colorado Law School, said, according to PTI.Land with protected status cannot be sold. Before any sale, authorities must also determine whether it meets specified conditions. These include cases in which land is uneconomical to manage or a sale would serve important public objectives, such as expanding communities and supporting economic development.Zinke's office said in a statement that he "remains firmly opposed to the sale or transfer of public lands". It added that he would vote against any related legislation if it came before Congress before he leaves at the end of his term.The senior Democrats on the natural resources committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate, encouraged by their party's success in the previous week's midterm elections, pledged to oppose any land sales.Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said federal lands "belong to the American people, not private interests looking to cash in".Democratic Representative Jared Huffman of California also said his party would resist the proposal. "Americans love their public lands and sent a clear message last week: the Trump administration's schemes to auction off our treasured resources and silence opposition must stop now. Democrats in Congress are going to deliver," Huffman said.Some western lawmakers sought to sell large areas of land in Utah and Nevada last year, arguing that the move could generate revenue and ease development pressures in rapidly growing cities. Among the proposals, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah suggested selling more than two million acres, or about 8,000 square kilometres, to states or other entities.Those efforts failed because of opposition from both major parties.The strategic plan outlines the Interior Department's priorities and proposed actions from 2026 to 2030, but future administrations would not be bound by it.The department regulates mining, drilling, grazing, recreation and other activities over which many state and local officials want greater control. It includes the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs.The department's strategic plan was last updated four years ago under former Democratic President Joe Biden.Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner last year proposed using "underutilised" federal land for affordable housing. Turner said about seven million homes were needed. Officials under Biden had also sought to use public lands for affordable housing, though on a smaller scale.The plan, therefore, seeks to reduce federally owned land through sales, transfers and exchanges, but legal restrictions and opposition in Congress could limit its implementation.- Ends