WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Maria Cantwell will join the Mayor of Boise and representatives from Seattle based REI for a press conference pushing back on senate republicans and a proposal made during the Senate reconciliation process to sell off public lands in Washington and Idaho.
In some draft language of the budget bill, it calls for the sale of more than 2 million acres of land and making more than 250 million acres of public lands eligible for sale across the American west.
It’s important to note the due to the Byrd Rule, languishing in the bill on this topic is in flux and is currently being edited.
Available draft language previously identified that some federal land could be eligible for sale or transfer by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
Land across 11 states would be subject to the language, those being Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
A few weeks back, Congressman Ryan Zinkie from Montana entered a “Managers Amendment” during the reconciliation process in the house that removed language like this out of the house bill protecting acreage in Montana from sale.
We expect strong language from Senator Cantwell today who already has said she strongly opposes the selling of public land.
That press conference will take place at 11:45, NonStop Local will cover it on “The Pulse.”
LIVE UPDATES:
The Senator started by making statements regarding what she calls a “Big Sky Swindle,” referencing a republican law maker who cut language out of the house bill. She didn’t Congressman Ryan Zinkie name — but it was implied.
Understanding the process:
What is reconciliation? That’s a term used when one party controls the majority, with Republicans having a majority in both chambers this process allows them to pass legislation with a simple majority, circumventing the filibuster.
