An ongoing series, produced by CNPS Conservation and Public Affairs staff
July 2025: The federal government continues to work at breakneck speed to dismantle our land management policies and agencies as we know them. As we celebrate a recent win on public lands sell- offs, we also know that the fight is far from over to protect imperiled species and irreplaceable habitat. Here and over the coming month, we’ll be reviewing the latest actions and what they mean for California native plants and places. Today, we reflect on this month’s good news: The attempts to sell off public lands as part of budget reconciliation were defeated.
If you called or wrote your Congressional members, posted or shared something on social media, attended an event, or took action in some way, thank you!
The sell-off defeat ended a multi-week saga, beginning when Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah introduced a failed sell-off provision in the House of Representatives, only to be followed by Utah Senator Mike Lee’s aggressive proposal, mandating the sale of up to 3 million acres of BLM and US Forest Service lands.
As public outcry rose ahead of the deadline, multiple members of Congress vowed not to vote for the budget bill if it included the sale of public lands. Ultimately, the sell-off language was removed from the budget bill ahead of the President’s July 4 deadline.
Grassroots power
The recent fight against public lands sell-offs wasn’t won by experts or policy wonks. It was won because people who love their public lands put themselves out there and made their voices heard. Here in California, public lands are near and dear to the hearts of so many Californians. Over the past few months, people from all walks of life–from public school teachers to seasoned naturalists–joined us to meet with their Congressional representatives, attend town halls meetings, and participate in local events.
Across social media, thousands of people posted, shared, and commented on the sell-off, demonstrating the unifying power of our connections to public land. In addition to traditional conservation supporters, voices ranging from veterans and national park employees all the way to Hunter Nation and Joe Rogan spoke out firmly and unequivocally for public lands.
What’s remarkable about these recent events is that public lands did the seemingly impossible – the issue transcended party lines in a divided nation, bringing people together around the shared belief that public lands must stay in public hands.
Many thanks to the California lawmakers who stood strong on protecting our public lands, including Representatives David Valadao (R-CA-22), Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3), Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), Dave Min (D-CA-47), and members of the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus. We hope to see more California representatives joining the caucus to defend public lands against continued, ongoing threats.
Looking ahead
Though Senator Lee pulled the sell-off language from the budget bill, he is determined to pursue the privatization of public lands through future legislation or by working with the federal Administration on executive orders. Meanwhile, attempts to rescind the Roadless Rule, new NEPA procedures, and cuts to federal agency staffing all pose dire threats to the integrity of California’s native plants and habitats. One thing is certain: Millions of people are watching and ready to respond.
Coming up:
Unpacking the New NEPA Implementation Procedures
Previously:
Stop the sell-off of public lands in California
Defend Public Lands, Protect Native Plants
California is Standing Strong for Public Lands
The post The Good, the Bad, and the Budget: Federal Policy Update appeared first on California Native Plant Society.
