Morgan Griffith
Representative

Currently, the federal government owns an estimated 28.2 percent of all the land in the nation.

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) introduced H.R. 2167 which keeps the federal government from expanding its percentage of land ownership in the United States.  It applies to certain Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service.  The bill simply requires the federal government to sell an acre of land for every new acre they desire to acquire.

Congressman Griffith said, “Currently, the federal government owns an estimated 28.2 percent of all the land in the nation.  Our Founding Fathers never intended for the federal government to own nearly one-third of the country’s land.  If the federal government needs to acquire additional land, they should identify pieces of land that can be sold to private owners, states, or localities.  Doing this assures that the federal government ends up with the most important land to fulfill its needed purpose, such as wilderness preservation, outdoor recreation, or a historical site.”