Sen. Wyden presses unnamed congressman over past remarks on selling public lands; law and stewardship emphasized

Sen. Ron Wyden questioned an unnamed congressman on whether he still holds a previously reported view that "most of it, we do not even need," referring to federal public lands in Western states. Wyden said the remark, if current, would make it hard for Western constituents to trust the congressman on land stewardship.

At the Senate hearing, the congressman responded that the earlier comment reflected frustration during his time representing a district that frequently clashed with federal land managers. "The statement made there was when I was represented as a legislative person, a district that was, I think, at odds with, with federal agencies many times because the management of those lands is sometimes not as well done as it should be, and local people pay the price," he said.

Wyden asked whether the congressman had changed his view. The congressman said he was not certain he had changed and described his prior remarks as motivated by frustration with agency decisions that he said cost people "jobs, careers, [and] land." He added, "I do not believe that we're gonna go out and wholesale land from the federal government. That again has been stated by the, the secretary. And federal law says that, that we can't do that from the BLM itself." The congressman identified both legal limits and public statements by administration officials as constraints on large-scale divestiture.

When pressed on his record and whether he was "changing his position," the congressman offered to continue the conversation in Wyden's office. He also spoke about the personal importance of public lands, recounting family hikes and saying, "I absolutely believe in the public lands and the public lands missions." He said he does not believe "we have too much federal land sitting in public hands," while acknowledging the political stress caused when lands are managed from Washington.

The exchange did not produce a formal policy decision or vote. Wyden closed by inviting the congressman to continue the discussion privately.

The transcript records Wyden quoting the prior line, the congressman's explanation that the comment came from frustration with federal agency management, his denial of intent to pursue wholesale sales of federal land, and his expressed support for public lands missions.