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. That’s right – the feds own most of our state!
The Housing Crisis in Our Backyard
If you’ve tried to buy a home lately, you know the problem. Houses cost too much, and there aren’t enough of them. Governor Lombardo says Southern Nevada will run out of land to build on by 2032 if nothing changes.
“We have one of the highest median home prices in the country,” Lombardo said during a meeting last Friday.
“We need to access that land, we need to build and make real estate affordable for both the residents and the builders because in our current scheme we are priced out of the business.”
The solution? Get some of that government-owned land back into the hands of Nevadans.
Working Together for Solutions
President Trump’s team is taking action alongside Nevada leadership. During the roundtable meeting, HUD Secretary Scott Turner made it clear that President Trump has given him direct orders to lower housing costs across all states.
“We have a housing and affordability issue across the country, it’s no secret, it’s well known,” Turner said.
He continued:
“Washington doesn’t have all the answers, the answers are with the private sector and the nonprofit and faith-based sector so we want to work as a convener and facilitator.”
This approach reflects true conservative values – getting government out of the way and letting the private sector solve problems.
Cutting Through Red Tape
One big issue is how long it takes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell land. Right now, it takes about 12 months to sell land for affordable housing. That’s too slow!
When pressed about reducing this timeframe, BLM Nevada acting state director Kimberly Prill admitted “six months would be ideal.” Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick went further, saying the process could be cut to just three months if properly streamlined.
Since 1998, the BLM has only released 17,519 acres to the private sector. That’s a drop in the bucket considering the Las Vegas Valley alone is about 2.1 million acres.
Why This Matters to Conservatives
This issue hits on core conservative principles:
- Limited government control over land
- Reducing bureaucracy and red tape
- Supporting private property rights
- Free market solutions to housing problems
When the government controls 80% of a state’s land, that’s not freedom. That’s federal overreach that drives up costs and limits opportunities for families.
Critics and Opposition
Democrats and conservation groups have opposed efforts to sell off public lands. They argue these lands should be preserved for environmental reasons.
But conservative leaders like U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) are fighting back. Amodei recently led a push to approve a bill that would sell more than 93,000 acres of public lands in Nevada for development, including 65,129 acres in Clark County specifically for affordable housing.
Solutions and Action
Governor Lombardo isn’t just talking – he’s acting.
In April, he signed an agreement with the BLM to identify land available for development. He also introduced the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, which would provide $250 million in state resources to support more than $1 billion in housing through grants, loans, and rebates.
Secretary Burgum pointed out that getting interest rates down is another key to making housing more affordable. He noted that Trump’s administration is cutting spending across government departments, which will help lower interest rates.
“When the government stops spending more than we are bringing in, that is going to affect interest rates,” Burgum said. “And you can’t talk about housing without talking about interest rates.”
What You Can Do
If you care about affordable housing and getting Nevada’s land back from federal control:
- Contact your representatives to support Rep. Amodei’s land bills
- Tell local officials to cut red tape in building permits and regulations
- Support Governor Lombardo’s housing initiatives
- Stay informed about new land releases for development
The battle for Nevada’s land is really a battle for freedom from federal control. It’s about letting Nevadans decide how to use Nevada’s land – not Washington bureaucrats.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
