Statement from Trust for Public Land President and CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser on Inclusion of Public Land Sale Provision in Budget Reconciliation
Denver, CO – Trust for Public Land CEO and President Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser issued the following statement in response to the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the updated proposal to mandate the sale of millions of acres of federal public lands be allowed in the budget reconciliation measure:
“The provision to force the sale of millions of acres of America’s public lands is as misguided today as it was when it was rightly removed from the budget package just days ago. It was bad then, and it’s bad now.
We expect and hope that Members of Congress will recognize this proposal for what it is: a short-sighted proposal that will sell off our national heritage to the highest-bidder and undermine decades of bipartisan work to protect, steward, and expand access to the places we all share. Americans across the political spectrum have consistently voiced overwhelming support for protecting and expanding public lands, not auctioning them off to the highest bidder.
Efforts to dismantle decades of bipartisan conservation progress, including threats to the Great American Outdoors Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, must be firmly rejected. Our public lands are not political bargaining chips. They are vital to our economy, our health, and our future.”
Nearly three-quarters of Americans—across political affiliations—oppose the sale or closure of public lands. These are not just figures and statistics; they are a reflection of how deeply communities value their access to nature, outdoor recreation, and the economic and health benefits that public lands provide. Selling public lands undermines not only public trust, but also the very foundation of our growing outdoor recreation economy, which supports millions of jobs and generates billions in economic activity in both rural and urban communities.
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About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are need the most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $110 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
