House Republicans push federal lands sale: Here's what it would be used for

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FILE-Construction workers build a cinder block foundation at a home site. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

House Republicans are proposing the sale of thousands of acres of public lands as a stipulation in their tax cut package. 

How does the federal land sales plan work?

Why you should care:

The federal plan would sell thousands of acres of public land in Nevada and Utah and call for some of the plots of land to be considered for affordable housing projects. It's now part of President Donald Trump’s legislation of tax breaks and spending cuts that is passing through Congress.

RELATED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls for Trump tax cuts to be made permanent

Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah introduced the land sale provision.

According to the Associated Press, land sites include roughly 200,000 acres in Clark County Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, according to Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Also included is land in Pershing County, Nevada.

What will the land be used for?

Dig deeper:

The land could be used for economic development, mining, and infrastructure projects such as the expansion of an airport and a reservoir in Utah, the Associated Press reported, citing local officials and plans for the areas. Some sites would be considered for affordable housing.

The AP reported that the land in Utah would be sold at market value to local governments and make up roughly a third of 1% of public lands in the state, citing Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy’s office. 

The sales provision advanced as the Natural Resources committee voted 26-17 to allow increased leasing of public lands for natural resource extraction, while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government approvals.