Merkley, Wyden Introduce New Bill to Block Sale of Federal Public Lands

Merkley, Wyden Introduce New Bill to Block Sale of Federal Public Lands May 11, 2026 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they introduced the Public Lands Integrity Act , new legislation to ensure that America’s public lands cannot be sold as part of a fast-tracked process in a budget reconciliation bill. During consideration of the Republicans’ “Big, Ugly Betrayal” budget reconciliation bill that passed in July 2025 on a party-line simple majority vote, Senate Republicans nearly passed a provision to sell one to three million acres of federal public lands to generate revenue all to fund Republicans’ tax cuts for billionaires. Merkley and Wyden worked to build strong bipartisan opposition alongside lawmakers, states, counties, and sportsmen’s groups across the West. The Senate ultimately abandoned the provision. Today, under current rules, any senator could propose expedited public land sales in a future budget reconciliation bill, and the Public Lands Integrity Act would eliminate that option. “Oregonians and folks across America are united with a clear message—our public lands are not for sale,” said Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee. “These beloved natural treasures belong to all of us, contributing to the spirit and economies of communities all over the United States. As Republicans attempt to rip away public lands from public use, I will fight like hell to protect and preserve our public lands for generations to come.” “Republicans have proved they will stop at nothing to sell off our country’s public lands to the highest bidder,” said Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. “This bill would help keep public lands in public hands by closing arcane loopholes that allow Republicans to carry out their fantasies of selling our beloved forests and lands off to billionaires.” America’s public lands are owned by the public and managed to provide public benefits in perpetuity. This legislation would prevent the sale of federal public lands through expedited Senate procedures under the budget reconciliation process by amending the Congressional Budget Act’s (CBA) “Byrd Rule.” The reconciliation process – established under the CBA – allows legislation affecting revenue and spending to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote. To prevent the inclusion of unrelated policy, Congress amended the CBA to include the “Byrd Rule,” which makes “extraneous” provisions subject to a point of order and a 3/5th majority vote. The Public Lands Integrity Act would define provisions resulting in the sale, transfer, or disposal of federal public lands as extraneous, making it significantly harder to permanently dispose of public lands that provide long-term benefits to the American people. Specifically, the Public Lands Integrity Act would: Designate any reconciliation provision resulting in the sale or disposal of federal public lands as “extraneous” under the “Byrd Rule”; Allow any Senator to raise a “Byrd Rule” point of order against the sale of federal public lands in a reconciliation bill; and Ensure that decisions about the future of federal public lands are debated through regular legislative order, rather than rushed through expedited and typically partisan budget procedures. “From the iconic vistas at Crater Lake National Park to the fossil record preserved in the John Day Fossil Beds, Oregonians are proud of the national parks that protect our shared heritage. The wildlife, clean water, and ancient forests that define these places don’t stop at park boundaries–they depend on the public lands that surround and sustain them. Decisions about these shared landscapes must not be rushed through a fast-tracked process that cuts out community voices. These public lands belong to all of us, and we deserve transparent, accountable and publicly-grounded decision-making, and the Public Lands Integrity Act would ensure just that,” said Colin Deverell, Northwest Region Acting Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association. “The Oregon Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers thanks Senator Merkley for his leadership on the Public Lands Integrity Act . Oregon’s hunters and anglers know that public lands are more than just green, yellow and blue polygons on a map — they are the places that sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations and connect Oregon families to our state’s wild lands and waters not as passive observers, but as active participants. This bill helps ensure that decisions about the future of America’s public lands, OUR public lands, are made openly and deliberately, not rushed through in a fast-tracked budget reconciliation process,” said Ian Isaacson, Co-Chair, Oregon Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “Friends of the Owyhee supports the Public Lands Integrity Act because public lands should not be sold, transferred, or disposed of through rushed budget procedures. These lands are working landscapes, wildlife habi