Trump Administration Plans to Sell Federal Public Lands

The Trump administration has formally outlined plans to sell some federal public lands as part of an effort to reduce the size of the government's property holdings.

The Trump administration's Interior Department has proposed offering some federal lands for sale to states, local governments and tribal governments.

The Interior Department's 2026-2030 strategic plan calls for offering federal lands to states, local governments and tribal governments. However, the document does not specify how much land could be sold, identify individual parcels or establish how properties would be priced.

The department manages approximately 480 million acres of federal land, including national parks, wildlife refuges and other public properties.

The strategic plan states that the department will work to reduce the size of the federal estate by giving states, localities and tribes the opportunity to purchase federal lands.

It says the proposed sales would allow the department to focus its resources on its primary federal responsibilities and nationally significant properties.

The Interior Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have previously supported proposals to build housing on federal properties considered underutilized.

The new plan's explicit reference to land sales represents a significant development in the administration's approach to federal property management.

Jayson O'Neill, a spokesman for the watchdog group Save Our Parks, said the proposal marked the first time the department had formally confirmed its intention to sell federal land.

He also pointed to previous statements by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum indicating that selling public land was not part of the administration's agenda.

"Doug Burgum just said the quiet part out loud, confirming that the Trump administration will work to sell off America's shared public lands," O'Neill said in an email.

The proposal could face opposition from conservation groups and lawmakers concerned about the future of public lands.

The strategic plan, however, does not itself authorize the sale of specific properties.

Federal land sales are subject to statutory restrictions and other legal requirements, meaning that implementing the policy would require additional steps beyond the department's strategic plan.