The Problem: Too Much Federal Control
Picture this: You want to buy a house in Nevada, but there’s barely any land to build on. Why?
Because Uncle Sam owns 80% of the entire state. That’s right – the federal government controls four out of every five acres in Nevada.
This isn’t just numbers on paper. It means real families can’t find affordable homes.
Governor Joe Lombardo says Southern Nevada will run out of land to develop on by 2032 if more parcels aren’t released. And Nevada already has some of the highest home prices in America.
What Just Happened in Congress
Last week, Congress passed a massive budget reconciliation package nicknamed the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Budget reconciliation bills are special – they only need 51 votes instead of the usual 60 in the Senate. Think of it as a legislative freight train that can barrel through roadblocks that would stop normal bills.
Rep. Mark Amodei saw his golden opportunity. Instead of waiting months or years for his land bills to crawl through committees, he could attach his amendment to this fast-moving train. His amendment would have sold over 93,000 acres of federal land – about 65,000 acres in Clark County around Las Vegas, plus land in Northern Nevada and Utah.
But other Republicans killed the plan. Rep. Ryan Zinke from Montana threatened to vote against the entire reconciliation bill if Amodei’s amendment stayed in. House leadership caved to his threat rather than let one congressman derail their big legislative win.
Amodei told reporters he was frustrated that Zinke threatened to vote no on the entire reconciliation package if his lands amendment wasn’t removed. Leadership decided not to call Zinke’s bluff, Amodei said.
“This was an opportunity to fast-track that stuff that was offered to us by the Natural Resources Committee, so we took it,” Amodei said. “It focused the need for us to act on lands bills in Nevada, and nowhere is that need more acute than it is Clark County.”
The Conservative Case for Land Sales
Why should conservatives care about this? Simple. It’s about getting government out of the way so families can have homes and businesses can grow.
Governor Lombardo signed an agreement with the BLM to identify land available for development. He’s also working with President Trump’s team to speed things up.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner met with Governor Joe Lombardo last Friday to tackle a problem that affects every Nevada homeowner: the federal government controls a whopping 80% of Nevada’s land.
The Trump administration gets it. They signed a deal in March to look at “underutilized” federal lands for housing.
According to a recent study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington, D.C., conservative think tank, 1.5 million homes could be built on developable BLM land within two miles of the Las Vegas city limits.
That’s enough homes for millions of families. But red tape is stopping it.
What the Other Side Says
Democrats and environmental groups fought hard against Amodei’s plan.
Rep. Dina Titus claimed it would burden taxpayers and strain water resources:
“It would have further strained our limited water resources. On top of that, this provision would have broken precedent by sending money back to Washington D.C. rather than keeping it in Southern Nevada.”
Environmental groups celebrated when the amendment got scrapped. They worry about protecting wildlife and keeping land in government hands.
But here’s what they don’t tell you: The current system isn’t working. Families are priced out of homes while vast stretches of unused federal land sit empty.
The Bigger Picture
This fight shows a classic split in conservative thinking. Some Republicans, like Amodei and Lombardo, want to free up land so people can build homes and start businesses. Others worry about selling any federal property.
But consider this: The federal government wasn’t supposed to be the country’s biggest landlord. The Constitution says federal land should be for specific purposes like military bases or post offices. Nowhere does it say Washington should control entire states.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, which governs most land disposals through the BLM, requires extensive environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
This process lasts between 18 months and several years—often stalling important and necessary development. Think about that. It can take years just to get permission to build on land the government doesn’t even use.
What Happens Next
Amodei isn’t giving up. He plans to push his land bills through the Natural Resources Committee. The process will take longer, but he’s determined to help Nevada families.
Meanwhile, Governor Lombardo is working directly with Trump’s cabinet.
The key is cutting through red tape. Right now, it takes about 12 months for the BLM to sell land for housing. That’s way too slow when families need homes today.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t just about Nevada. Western states across America face the same problem – too much federal control, not enough local freedom. When government owns most of the land, families suffer.
The Trump administration and leaders like Governor Lombardo are trying to fix this. But they need support from conservatives who understand that limited government means letting people use land to build homes and communities.
Every acre the federal government holds back is one less place for an American family to build their future.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
