Boots on the Ground

by Rachel Frazin - 06/26/25 3:32 PM ET

Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke said Thursday he’ll vote against the Senate’s version of the GOP megabill over a provision that would mandate the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of public lands...

“I agree with my colleagues that the federal government has mismanaged federal lands for decades. But I don’t agree with their solution,” said Zinke, who was Interior Secretary during Trump’s first term, in a post on the social platform X.

“The solution is not to sell public lands,” he added. “I remain a no on the senate reconciliation bill.”

In a separate interview with CNN that Zinke also posted on social media Thursday, he pushed back on land sale supporters’ argument that the land can be used for affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is tens of acres, not millions of acres,” he said.

read the full article here.

Conservation Champion Steve Rinella Calls Zinke’s Actions Heroic

Steve Rinella published an article in The Free Press defending public lands and opposing any public land sales in the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Included in the article is direct praise for Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke and his fight to keep public lands in public hands.

“Last month, a provision was inserted into the House’s version of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill mandating that the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service sell a half-million acres of public land in Nevada and Utah. That proposal was eventually removed (heroically, in my view) thanks to Ryan Zinke, a second-term Republican congressman from Montana, who campaigned on a promise to keep ‘public lands in public hands.’”

Read Rinella’s full article here.

Read the press release here.

Zinke Secures Deal Between CSKT and Interior Department on Flathead Lake Levels

Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging immediate action to address the projected low water levels of Flathead Lake this summer. Congressman Zinke is called for increased water releases from Hungry Horse Reservoir and cooperation with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to reduce outflows from the SKQ Dam in order to stabilize lake levels. With this letter, an agreement between Interior Secretary Burgum and the CSKT was made, resulting in a 45% reduction in the license required minimum flows from SKQ Dam and allowing for more water to flow into Flathead Lake.

“Montana is facing one of its driest seasons on record, and unless action is taken now, we’re looking at a repeat, or worse, of the water crisis on Flathead Lake,” said Zinke, “Our small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and communities cannot afford another devastating season. While releasing from Hungry Horse and reducing flow from the dam will not bring the lake to full pool, it will help prevent a catastrophic drop.”

Read Congressman Zinke’s full letter here.

Zinke Discusses Rural Infrastructure, Flathead Lake, Medicaid, and More During Radio Townhall

On Rural Infrastructure:

“We were up at Noxon and looking at that bridge, and there are holes the size of a trash can lid there,” began Zinke. “It's 104 years old. That bridge needs to be replaced. “I'm glad I’m in Appropriations, because this is exactly where federal dollars should go. Our smaller communities in Sanders, Mineral and Lincoln Counties, are all, I would say, pretty hardship counties. They don't have a lot of money in the coffers, but that little bridge is a lifeblood of little Noxon.”

On Flathead Lake:

“You have a faucet, which is the Hungry Horse dam,” he said. “In that basin, you’ve got the bathtub as Flathead Lake, and you’ve got the drain as the dam. So guys, you should find better technology, understand how much moisture in there, and set the gates so you're at full pool on 15 June, is what the FERC license mandates, and then keep the full pool until 15 September. There are a lot of businesses that make their business in those three months, and if they don't have a good business in three months, they're out; same as Seeley Lake. If you have a bad winter and you don't have an underlying economy, you're going to go under.”

On Medicaid Work Requirements:

“If you're an able body, male and you can work, guess what?” he asked. “You’ve got to do 80 hours of work a month. Now you can go volunteer at a food pantry, but you know what? You're not going to get Medicaid sitting on the couch. So that's where the biggest change is. But if you deserve the benefit, if you're a child, if you're a mom and you deserve the benefit, you're going to get the benefit."

Read more about the radio townhall here.

Commander Zinke in the News

Press Releases