{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases/zinke-strips-public-lands-sales-out-house-budget-reconciliation-fully-endorses", "Zinke Strips Public Lands Sales out of House Budget Reconciliation Fully endorses \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act", "2025-05-21", "2025", "2025-05", "Republican", "House", "MT", "Ryan K. Zinke", "Z000018", "zinke.house.gov", "zinke", "https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Today, after unrelenting effort from Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01), a provision selling more than 450,000 acres of public land has been stripped from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act\u201d also known as the House budget reconciliation. The provision passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on May 6th, and after continual negotiations led by Zinke, was removed by the Rules Committee this afternoon. The Rules Committee is the last step before the bill goes to the House floor for a vote. The change was supported by Representatives Tory Downing (MT-02), Mike Simpson (ID-02) and hundreds of other members on both sides of the aisle.\n\nCongressman Zinke has been clear on his opposition to selling public lands, especially by lowering the threshold for scrutiny by including it as part of the reconciliation process:\n\n\u201cThe idea that you\u2019re going to sell public land to get out of debt is folly.\u201d\n\n\"I have told leadership before, I have told leadership since, that ... I strongly don\u2019t believe [land sales] should be in the reconciliation bill.\"\n\n\u201cAs written, I\u2019m a hard no. It\u2019s a red line to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis was my San Juan Hill; 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\u2019t creating more land,\u201d said Zinke. \u201cPublic access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism\u2026 our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands. I don\u2019t yield to pressure; I only yield to higher principle. There is a process to making sure that our lands are being used for the best benefit of the people.\u201d\n\nZinke continued: \u201cI\u2019d like to thank Speaker Johnson for his leadership and listening to the concerns of the people of Montana and all Americans who love our public lands. I appreciate him working with me to get this done. I look forward to voting for the \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill\u2019 which delivers historic tax cuts for every American, makes Medicaid and SNAP stronger for American Citizens while removing illegal aliens from the rolls, and provides needed regulatory relief to get our economy back on track.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe TRCP is encouraged to see provisions removed from the House budget reconciliation bill that would sell off public lands. Hunters and anglers stepped into the arena to make their voices heard, and members of Congress listened\u2014thank you,\u201d said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Missoula based Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. \u201cIn particular, we thank Congressman Zinke for his strident advocacy on behalf of America\u2019s hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists. We look forward to working with lawmakers to resolve challenges with public lands management, including housing affordability.\u201d\n\n\"Hunters and anglers across America appreciate the efforts of Congressman Zinke and members of the House leadership to keep public lands in public hands,\u201d said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. \u201cPublic lands are the backyard of the little guy, and we appreciate the House keeping it that way.\"\n\n\u201cAs a Montanan, a lifelong outdoorsman, NA board chair for BHA, and director of conservation for MeatEater, a business that was founded on the virtues of public lands, I\u2019m proud and grateful that Congressman Zinke has the gumption to stand up for his constituents,\u201d said Ryan Callaghan, Director of Conservation at MeatEater. \u201cThe Congressman is showing the type of leadership we need right now, huge thank you from all of us public landowners.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongressman Zinke\u2019s leadership was instrumental in removing a public lands sell-off proposal from the budget reconciliation process,\u201d said Jessica Turner, President, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. \u201cAt a time when gateway communities and outdoor recreation businesses need certainty and access, Congressman Zinke stood up for the economic, health, and cultural value of keeping our public lands public. Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry applaud his work to safeguard these shared spaces, and we look forward to continuing to work with him to ensure public lands remain a cornerstone of America\u2019s economy and way of life.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:49:36Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://zinke.house.gov/media/press-releases/zinke-strips-public-lands-sales-out-house-budget-reconciliation-fully-endorses"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5008901245892048, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}