A new attempt to safeguard national parks from losing federal protection and oversight is at risk of failure. Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) — who proposed the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land this summer — introduced an amendment this week that would strip language from an appropriations bill that specifically outlines federal protections of all national park sites, according to park advocates.
Lee’s amendment would remove several sections from a Senate appropriations bill for the Interior Department, which manages the National Park Service (NPS).
One of those sections was recently added by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley (D), and essentially mandates that national parks must remain federal property. It’s an attempt to buoy park protections as Congress considers more funding cuts to the NPS.
“Senator Lee’s proposal to sell off national park lands is an assault on treasures that belong to every American,” Sen. Merkley told GearJunkie. “I wrote and secured protection for these lands and no cuts to National Park Service operations in the 2026 Interior funding bill with support from both Democrats and Republicans. I’ll keep fighting to pass these special places to the generation to come.”
In a statement to GearJunkie, Sen. Lee’s office disagreed with that interpretation: “The Department of the Interior has no authority to sell national parks, and nothing in this amendment would create such authority,” a spokesperson for Lee’s office said. “This amendment resolves an error that interfered with bills routinely considered by the ENR [Energy and Natural Resource] Committee. Senator Lee opposes the sale of National Parks.”
The spokesperson did not respond to follow-up questions about what error the amendment resolves, or what bills it would interfere with.
Why Is the Language Important?
The language added to the Senate appropriations bill is short. It simply states that “the Department of the Interior shall maintain all federal lands designated as a national park unit … as federal lands.”
That section of the bill is significant because it functions as a stopgap measure against future attempts to sell off national park units, park advocates told GearJunkie. The Trump administration, which laid off a quarter of NPS’s workforce this year, has suggested an additional $1 billion cut to the NPS in 2026.
If Congress approved a funding cut that steep, it would result in the closure of 350 of the country’s 433 national park sites, the NPCA said. That includes historic monuments, scenic rivers, and other sites maintained by the NPS. This year, both the Trump administration and some Congressional representatives — like Sen. Lee — have suggested that some national park sites should be given to individual states.
That’s a slippery slope toward the sell-off of our public lands, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) told GearJunkie. “A vote in favor of Senator Lee’s amendment is a vote to sell America’s national parks. And we won’t stand for it,” Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of NPCA, said. “[National parks] are our legacy. And they are not for sale.”
It’s also an urgent issue because Congress is up against a Jan. 30 funding deadline for the federal government. If they can’t pass funding bills before then, the government could face another shutdown. Congress just took a recess for several weeks, and won’t return until early January.
Senator Still Targeting Public Lands
Sen. Lee has already been in the spotlight this year for proposals to sell public lands. His proposed amendment comes after Lee suggested that Congress sell off 3 million acres of public land this summer.
That was met with severe backlash from the outdoor recreation industry, including national organizations like NPCA as well as heavyweight brands like Patagonia and The North Face. Together, the coalition raised a chorus of protest against Lee’s attempt to sell off public land used by hikers, mountain bikers, climbers, and paddlers.
Since then, Lee and fellow Utah Sen. John Curtis, also a Republican, have made several other proposals that raised the alarm for public land advocates. For starters, they’re pushing legislation to give 24 acres of the Dixie National Forest to the Utah ski resort town of Brian Head. They also introduced a series of bills that increase off-highway vehicle use on public lands, including Capitol Reef National Park.
Park Advocates: Call Your Senators
Lee, who chairs the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resource Committee, has a long history of trying to give away federal lands.
Since at least 2018, Lee has advocated for giving federal lands to the states, arguing that public lands should be open for development and managed by states.
“A ‘new’ Homestead Act could expand the law to allow states, local governments, and individuals to petition the government to use that land for affordable housing … or education … or health care or research,” Lee said in a speech at the time.
But giving away national parks and other public lands should never be on the table, and this week’s amendment is just the latest example, said Adam Cramer, CEO of Outdoor Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group.
“Keeping public lands public is a core value shared by millions of outdoor recreationists across the country,” Cramer told GearJunkie. “We oppose any effort to open the door to transfer, sell off, or give away national parks as well as national forests and BLM lands, at scale. These parks, trails, and wild and scenic rivers belong to the American people, and we encourage lawmakers to reject efforts, including Amendment 3972 [Lee’s amendment] to the Interior Appropriations bill, that could lead to giving away National Parks or other public lands.”
The NPCA has called on parks supporters to contact their senators and ask them to oppose Amendment 3972.
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