Trump Wants to Sell Public Lands to Shrink Federal Estate

Luke 0 2 min read

    The Trump administration wants to sell some public lands. That is now official policy, written into a new five-year plan from the Interior Department.

    The plan, which covers 2026 through 2030, says the department will work to decrease the size of the federal estate by offering lands to states, localities and Tribes for purchase. Through these sales, the department said, it will be able to focus its resources on primary federal responsibilities and nationally significant federal lands.

    The plan was released Tuesday, Nov 10, and reported by the Associated Press on Nov 11-12. It is a statement of intent, not a completed sale. No park has been sold by this announcement, and no specific parcels have been named.

    What the plan actually says

    Here is what is in the document, and what is not.

    What it says: Interior will offer federal lands for purchase to states, local governments and Tribes. A portion of the money from sales could go back to the buyer for conservation purposes elsewhere in the state, locality or Tribal land, leading to improved recreation access, while decreasing the federal taxpayer’s cost to manage federal lands.

    It also calls for strategic land transfers and exchanges to support greater energy production. And it says the Land and Water Conservation Fund will no longer be used to expand the federal footprint.

    What it does not say: which lands, how much acreage, where, or at what price. The phrase nationally significant is not defined, which leaves open which parcels might be considered for disposal. Interior did not answer questions from The Hill about the sales, according to reports.

    The department also says it will consolidate its workforce. It did not say what that means in practice, or whether it means layoffs.

    How big is the federal estate

    Interior oversees more than 750,000 square miles, about 20 percent of US land, much of it in the West. The federal government owns about 80 percent of Nevada, 63 percent of Utah and 39 percent of Arizona, according to Congressional Research Service data cited in reporting.

    That scale is why this plan matters, and why it drew quick pushback. Hunting and conservation groups warned that buyers could later resell land to private developers. The Center for Western Priorities raised the same concern.

    The pushback is bipartisan. Former Interior Secretary Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican from Montana who served under Trump in his first term, remains firmly opposed to the sale or transfer of public lands. Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said public lands belong in public hands.

    Can Interior do this alone

    That is unclear. The Associated Press reported it is unclear whether Interior can carry out the sales without Congressional approval. Federal law restricts sales, protected land cannot be sold, and future administrations would not be bound by a five-year strategic plan.

    This is not the first try. Senate Republicans last year tried to include land sales in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, but dropped the provision amid bipartisan pushback. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, has proposed selling more than two million acres, arguing federal ownership can restrict local development and housing.

    The first Trump administration’s Interior strategic plan made no mention of land sales, swaps or disposal. This one does, for the first time. That is the change.

    So, is your favorite hunting spot or hiking trail for sale? Not yet. The plan is a real estate listing with no address, no price and no closing date. Watch for follow-up details from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s department on which parcels are targeted, and how Tribes and states respond.

    Sources: