Budget Reconciliation is happening in Congress right NOW!
- Isabel Lisle
- May 9
- 3 min read
Give your opinion about the Amodeis Amendment ASAP!
After hours of debate at literally midnight Rep. Amodei (NV) and Rep. Malloy (UT) introduced a last-minute amendment to a massive budget reconciliation package earlier this week that mandates the sell-off of public lands; specifically, in the states of Utah and Nevada, totaling over ½ million acres.
This backdoor maneuver bypassed standard legislative procedures, allowed no meaningful debate, and was clearly timed to evade public scrutiny. Nevertheless, the House Natural Resources Committee approved both the amendment and the broader package along party lines. With one notable exception that Rep.
Hurd voted against the Amodei sell-off, but ultimately voted for the package. (Natural Resources clearsenergy portion of reconciliation bill, POLITICO, 5/7/25)
"I voted no on the Amodei amendment because it would have violated one of the fundamental principles of public lands management that I campaigned on—decisions should be made by local communities," Hurd wrote in a statement to Rocky Mountain Community Radio.
This package will be folded into a broader budget reconciliation proposal targeted for a vote by Memorial Day (May 26th ), though that timeline could slip. Afterward, the Senate Natural Resources Committee, led by anti-public lands champion Sen. Mike Lee, will draft and mark up its own companion reconciliation bill.
Most Americans and residents of Colorado strongly oppose any attempts to recklessly sell public lands through legislative shortcuts like budget reconciliation, which bypass public input, environmental review, and accountability; these reckless actions threaten public access, undermine responsible land management, and betray the public’s trust. House Committee ranking member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said the bill is the “most extreme, anti-environment bill in American history.”
This is an unprecedented assault on our nation’s natural heritage and a clear signal that the Trump administration is fully committed to dismantling public lands in service of a radical, corporate-driven agenda. We must draw the line here. This cannot–and will not–go forward.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has also called for the development of public lands to pay down the national debt and went as far as suggesting that “much of” the nation’s public lands are suitable for disposal. Reps. Amodei and Maloy are making clear that they are aligned with the Trump Administration’s ideas that public lands are not worth protecting.
Outfitters, ranchers, small businesses, and entire local communities rely on public lands to sustain their livelihoods–and they stand to lose everything if this sell-off moves forward. At the same time, the trillion-dollar outdoor recreation industry, which depends on public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping, would be gutted. This isn’t just an attack on public lands–it’s an attack on the people, jobs, and way of life they support.
Not only would these land sales permanently extend Trump’s first term tax cuts that only benefited the wealthiest Americans, it would do so at the expense of the millions of regular Americans who depend on and cherish our access to the outdoors.
Thank Rep. Neguese, who lead the charge to protect public lands in the House Natural Resources Committee.
Not only is the selloff of Public Lands underway, but part of this Budget Reconciliation package is cutting funding to our National Parks. Below is a list of the cuts proposed in the Reconciliation Bill that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act. (IRA).
Staff funding for CO from the IRA money they want to cut:
Bents Old Fort National Historic Site, Colorado CO $500,000
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado CO $635,000
Colorado National Monument, Colorado CO $640,000
Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado CO $1,450,000
Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah CO $1,260,000
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado CO $500,000
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado CO $860,000
Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado and Utah CO $500,000
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado CO $2,170,000
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado CO $4,330,000
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Colorado CO $500,000
Yucca House National Monument, Colorado CO See Mesa Verde
Suggestion for Congressman Jeff Hurd “thanks for voting No on the Amodeis Amendment, but that you still want our public lands to remain protected, not privatized, and to fully fund our National Parks!”
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