As sky-high housing costs bring widespread economic pain, some in Washington are using the crisis as an opportunity to push a reckless proposal to sell off America’s public lands.

After many years of stagnant housing construction, the U.S. needs a focused effort to support struggling families and build more affordable homes. Solving the housing crisis requires a multi-prong strategy, but one idea is getting a surge of attention, ranging from the Trump administration to the New York Times: selling off national public lands for housing development.

The vast majority of public lands are remote and not conducive for developing housing, but selling federal land parcels can help address housing needs in limited circumstances — if done well. In 2024, for example, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the sale of federal lands for affordable housing near Las Vegas, and

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