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What you need to know this morning
Utah Sen. Mike Lee was widely criticized for a proposal to open millions of acres of federally owned land to private developers—a plan he says would ease the housing crisis and help pay down the national debt. On 60 Minutes Sunday, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke—Donald Trump’s former Interior secretary—rebuffed the idea, arguing it wouldn’t solve either problem.
“You could sell the entirety of the federal state. It’s not going to get you out of debt,” Zinke said.
“If you have a hotel, and the hotel is being mismanaged, you don’t sell the hotel. You get new management. And then if you sell the public land, you sell it all, right? Have you changed why you’re in debt? No, you’ve just sold your assets.”
Lee drew fire when he attempted to add the provision to the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which would have required the federal government to sell off more than 1 million acres of public land, most of it in the western United States.
Even though Lee included a carve-out exempting Montana from the sell-off, it wasn’t enough to get Zinke to drop his opposition to the plan.
“It’s a red, white and blue issue. It’s not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an American issue. And once you sell land, you’re not going to get it back,” Zinke said.
Monday morning's must-reads:
The "Department of Government Efficiency," known as DOGE, has disbanded eight months early with very little to show for the effort. [Reuters]
State Senator Nate Blouin latest Democrat to announce run for Congress. [ABC 4]
Keeping S.L. County-run day cares open would cost taxpayers a cup of coffee a year. It's too pricey for GOP council members. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Republican lawmakers grow alarmed over signs of 2026 election wipeout. [NewsNation]
Secret US-Russia talks led to plan that blindsided Ukraine. [Bloomberg]
68% of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of inflation and the economy. [CBS News]
More Americans are getting their power shut off, as unpaid bills pile up. [Washington Post]