Exclusive—Ken Blackwell: Mike Lee’s Bill on Energy, Land, and Housing Is Good for Families, Sportsman, and the Outdoors

Utah Senator Mike Lee’s part of the One Big Beautiful Bill hits a bullseye by providing affordable housing and securing America’s energy dominance while supporting hunters and protecting the outdoors, all of which is needed for strong American families.

Senate committees are now debating their version of the bill that funds and authorizes President Trump’s America First agenda. Lee is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, whose bill portion deals with land, minerals, and American energy – balancing America’s priorities and values on those everyday issues.

Housing policy has been a lifelong issue for me. Upon my father’s return from World War II, we spent my early childhood in public housing in Cincinnati. There was a shortage of housing at the time, as well as vestiges of segregation.

Housing was still a major issue in Cincinnati when I because mayor in 1979. Afterward I served as deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

It is vital for a family to have a home and not be stressed every day over whether they can afford to keep it. That requires both affordable housing and low monthly energy bills. We also must protect hunting and the outdoors, as I’ve done decades in the leadership of national organizations like the NRA. As a former U.S. diplomat and special envoy, I’ve traveled to 67 countries, and can compare how Americans balance those priorities compared to the rest of the world – what works and what doesn’t.

Lee’s bill directs the Interior Department to sell off one half of one percent of federal lands to meet America’s housing needs. Fully 15 categories of land are completely exempt from sale, including national monuments, national parks, wilderness areas, and historical areas. This leaves untouched our natural wonders and wildlife habitat, protecting those resources and the hunters and sportsmen who use them. And I’m told by friends on Capitol Hill that additional protections are being added.

States like Utah have flat, featureless land owned by the federal government near population centers where hardworking Americans desperately need affordable housing. The federal government owns 68 percent of all the land in Utah, which is outrageous. States and local communities take better care of land than the federal government, and supporters of smaller government know the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment calls for that kind of local control.

Nor does this bill affect every state. For example, Montana is exempted from the land sales part of the Senate bill.

Two of President Trump’s cabinet members are calling for a policy like what is found in Lee’s bill. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and HUD Secretary Scott Turner recently spoke about America’s “housing affordability crisis” and our need for 7 million houses.  They said the federal government should “efficiently and effectively steward these under-utilized areas” that are suitable for housing.

Affordable housing goes hand in glove with American energy, which is another area of focus for me as a former part owner of coal mines. Lee’s legislation unlocks American oil and natural gas – both onshore and offshore – and coal, as well as newer technologies like geothermal energy to go with Trump’s renewed push for nuclear energy.

America needs more baseload power, which doesn’t flicker on and off depending on the weather. Our energy needs are already growing while the race for AI will take it to a new level, and we want to export that energy to the rest of the world.

Energy production creates good-paying jobs. With modern workplace and environmental protections, jobs in oil, gas, coal, and nuclear are high-paying jobs where blue-collar workers can make a solid living to comfortably support a family.

But regardless of where they work, every family in America needs to pay every month for electricity, heating, cooling, and gasoline. Unlocking America’s liquid gold beneath our feet, mining clean coal, and rebuilding our nuclear industry will make everyone’s lives more affordable and more peaceful.

Beyond being less stressed about essentials, lower bills allow families to look at additional options for education, clothing, and maybe adding some fun to the mix, like a summer vacation.

These policies strengthen American families. Creating additional housing and bringing down energy prices are what everyday Americans need, and Lee’s bill would deliver on solutions for those needs and fulfill President Trump’s promises on those scores.

Ambassador Ken Blackwell serves as a senior advisor to the America First Policy Institute, is a longtime senior fellow at the Family Research Council, and served for over 18 years on the boards of the National Rifle Association and Club for Growth.