Wyoming Senators Support Federal Land Sales to Fund Budget

Wyoming’s US Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis voted in favor of selling federal land to help fund President Trump’s proposed budget, Wyoming News Now reports.

Their vote opposed an amendment introduced by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), which aimed to prevent the use of public land sales for budget funding.

Supporters of the measure, primarily Republicans, argue that selling federal land could help address affordable housing shortages near national parks. However, Democrats have raised concerns that it could lead to increased drilling and logging.

As of Tuesday morning, neither Sen. Lummis nor Sen. Barrasso had issued statements on their vote. However, Sen. Barrasso commented on the budget on Friday, stating:

“Today’s Senate budget is the building block for our bold Republican agenda. It fulfills our promise to secure the border, rebuild the economy, and restore peace through strength. Most importantly, it represents in every way a 180-degree turn from the deadly, destructive liberal failures of the past four years. The Republican budget means American energy dominance. No more liberal handcuffs on American energy. We are going back to energy independence. Affordable, reliable American energy is the best way to grow the economy and lower costs.”

The vote largely followed party lines, with Nebraska’s Republican senators, Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, also opposing the amendment. The only Republican senators to support the measure were from Montana.

The Wyoming Democratic Party strongly criticized the vote, issuing a statement calling it a “slap in the face to the voters they are supposed to represent.” The statement continued, saying:

“The idea that these lands could be sold off to fund tax cuts for billionaires is as offensive as it is out of touch.”