Earlier this week, theSenate Parliamentarian determined that the mandate to sell-off at least 2 million acres and up to 3 million acres of federal public lands under the Senate budget reconciliation bill, as originally proposed and written, was incompatible with rules of the U.S. Senate and cannot be included in this budget reconciliation bill. While this may sound like a win for sportsmen and women, it is critical to recognize that this decision only applies to the proposal as originally drafted, and the fight for our public lands and our hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping traditions is not finished. Headquartered just blocks away from the U.S. Capitol with the sole focus of fighting in the trenches of government on behalf of sportsmen and women, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) remains committed to protecting access for sportsmen and women.
Roughly six weeks ago, when federal public lands were first proposed for sale in the House reconciliation bill, CSF quickly responded to express concerns with moving land disposals through reconciliation, and thus, the proposal was not included in the House passed bill. Fast forward a couple of weeks, the Senate version of the reconciliation bill included a provision to mandate the sale of at least 2 million and up to 3 million acres of federal public lands, which CSF responded to with significant concern. Despite the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling that the Senate public land disposal, as originally written, is incompatible with the rules that guide the budget reconciliation process, CSF is not resting on our laurels and will continue to ensure that federal lands are not mandated to be sold off through this legislation.
Throughout the process, CSF has made it clear that we are not anti-sale or disposal of public lands in principle, if the lands in consideration do not impact recreational opportunities or important wildlife habitat. However, there is a process and that process is being bypassed through proposals contained in the reconciliation bills. As such, any future lands being considered for disposal must follow the existing and longstanding processes, such as the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the Federal Lands Transaction Facilitation Act, but reconciliation is not the vehicle.
CSF continues to stand up for sportsmen and women and the public lands that serve as the only avenue for millions of hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters to participate in our time-honored traditions.
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