Through the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Trump’s public land sell-off threatens over 250 million acres of public lands. In what could be the largest public land sale in U.S. history, this unprecedented act by the GOP and sitting president could change outdoor recreation in the country forever…

If you’ve ever enjoyed an outdoor activity—almost anywhere in the contiguous United States and Alaska—you’ve benefitted from America’s vast public lands. Now, in order to fund an expensive bill dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” by our sitting president Donald Trump, all of the land the American public uses year round in innumerable ways is at risk.

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Under the guise of being used for housing, more than 250 million acres of public land is up for grabs, and it will more than likely be used for more nefarious practices given that there are few, if any, protections on whether oil, gas, and other extractive means can also purchase said lands. Per the Wilderness Society, key takeaways include:

  • The bill directs what is likely the largest single sale of national public lands in modern history to help cut taxes for the richest people in the country. It trades ordinary Americans’ access to outdoor recreation for a short-term payoff that disproportionately benefits the privileged and well-connected.
  • The June 14 updated version of the bill makes land with grazing permits eligible for sale. Although lands with undefined “valid existing rights” are still excluded, that term is now best understood to encompass property interests like oil and gas leases, rights-of-way or perfected mining claims.
  • The bill’s process for selling off lands runs at breakneck speed, demanding the nomination of tracts within 30 days, then every 60 days until the arbitrary multi-million-acre goal is met, all without hearings, debate or public input.
  • National monument lands may also be at risk from this proposal. In a Department of Justice opinion released last week, the Trump Administration dubiously claimed the unprecedented legal authority to revoke national monument protections. If they were to attempt to follow through on this, another 13.5 million acres of our most cherished public lands could be threatened with sell-off.
  • Land agencies already have ways to identify public lands for uses like housing if it serves community needs. Jury-rigging a new way to force such “disposal” as part of the budget reconciliation process sets up a precedent to quickly liquidate huge chunks of America’s treasured lands in the future whenever politicians have a pet project to pay for.
  • The public lands sell-off provision masquerades as a way to provide more housing, but it lacks safeguards to ensure land is used for that purpose, and it sets up a system where lands could be sold or resold for non-housing uses after just 10 years. Research suggests that very little of the land managed by the BLM and USFS is actually suitable for housing.
Trump's Public Land Selloff

To see a full interactive map of the lands up for sale, click here.

Of course, the best way to try and prevent this massive and irreversible sale of what are public lands is to call or email your local representatives and senators to voice your concerns directly. Invariably, you’ll get a staffer or voicemail, but they do have to listen to their constituents, and public comment is a meaningful and real means of putting the pressure on.

For more information on Trump’s public land sell-off, visit TheWildernessSociety.com.

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