Five Western House Republicans warned House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that they would vote against the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act if it includes Sen. Mike Lee‘s (R-UT) public lands sale measure. 

The threat poses a major obstacle to the passage of the provision, which Lee has promoted as a response to the nationwide housing shortage, given that the overall bill cannot lose five Republican votes and still pass.

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On Thursday, Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Cliff Bentz (R-OR), and David Valadao (R-CA) sent a letter to Johnson, warning that Lee’s measure to sell public lands for housing is a “poison pill” that would cause the budget reconciliation legislation to fail in the House.  

“[W]e cannot accept the sale of federal lands that Senator Lee seeks. If a provision to sell public lands is in the bill that reaches the House floor, we will be forced to vote no,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. 

The letter comes as Lee revised his measure earlier this week after the Senate parliamentarian axed it for violating the Byrd Rule, which governs measures that can pass via reconciliation, a legislative process that allows for bills to bypass the filibuster and pass with only a simple majority in the Senate.

Lee, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that the parliamentarian was considering his revised measure. The senator provided a narrower version of the resolution, but the parliamentarian has yet to rule on it. 

“It is our hope that the Senate Parliamentarian strips any language from the bill regarding public lands sales, but we hope we can count on you once again to hear our concerns and work with Senate Leadership to remove the provision that will tank the entire Republican agenda,” the lawmakers wrote. 

MIKE LEE DEFENDS FEDERAL LAND SALES FROM LEFT AND RIGHT

Even if the provision passes muster with the parliamentarian, it faces opposition from Lee’s fellow Republican senators.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) reportedly has the votes to block Lee’s public lands provision. Lee’s spokesperson told Politico that Lee spoke to Daines about the provision Thursday evening and “asked Sen. Daines to reserve judgment until he’s had a full opportunity to review the revised text.”