MAGA advocates known for their love of hunting and fishing are fuming over a proposal in President Donald Trump's megabill currently being considered by the Senate, The New York Times reported.
Senators are looking to make cuts to offset the cost of Trump's tax cuts for high-income individuals and corporations. One solution came from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has proposed selling millions of acres of federal lands in a move that could threaten fish and wildlife prized by outdoorsmen.
"Lee’s proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management to sell as much as 1.225 million acres of public property across the American West," reporter Maxine Joselow wrote. "Proponents have said the region has a severe shortage of affordable housing and that developers could build new homes on these tracts."
Cameron Hanes, described as "an avid hunter and MAGA influencer," regularly preaches to his 1.7 million Instagram followers about his love of the outdoors and his desire to preserve it.
“I’m a Republican, and yes, I did vote for Trump,” Hanes told the Times. “But I didn’t vote for this. I didn’t vote for selling millions of acres of public land.”
Hanes told the Times that he has been able to use his platform to rally opposition to Lee's plan.
"The advocacy from Mr. Hanes — and several other conservative hunters and anglers — underscores a growing rift within the Republican Party over how to manage the nation’s public lands," Joselow wrote.
On Sunday, Lee wrote on social media, “Hunter Nation: You spoke, and I’m listening. I’ll be making changes in the coming days.” This week, Lee announced "that only land within five miles of population centers would be eligible to be sold," the Times reported.
"It’s not clear if the particular land where Mr. Lee’s opponents hunt and fish would be affected by the senator’s plan. But critics said they were broadly opposed to the idea of a sell-off," Joselow wrote.