FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2025

Montanans push back on Trump budget cuts to public lands

Provision allowing corporations to buy public lands removed after pushback

(BOZEMAN, Mont.) — The Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund issued the following statement from Executive Director Whitney Tawney in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed budget, which slashes over $100 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and undermines protections established by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA):

“This proposal is nothing short of an attack on one of our most successful conservation tools in American history. It guts LWCF, rewrites key provisions of GAOA, and threatens critical public land and infrastructure projects across Montana — from the Blackfoot River to the Rocky Mountain Front.

Montanans fought hard to permanently fund LWCF, and we’re not about to let it be dismantled behind closed doors. These funds are intended to protect access and invest in outdoor legacy — not fill unrelated budget gaps. Congress made that clear when it overwhelmingly supported GAOA.

We’re calling on Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, as well as Representatives Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke, to reject this reckless and short-sighted proposal. Senator Daines was instrumental in passing GAOA, and our entire congressional delegation must stand up and defend it.”