WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Mount Baker Ski Area is among millions of acres of public land that could be up for sale under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

U.S. Senator Patty Murray says the proposed spending and tax package would allow for the sale of 250 million acres of public land in the western United States, including over 5 million acres in Washington.

“Democrats, Republicans, everyone makes use of and enjoys our public lands,” Murray said in a video posted to X. “We cannot let them jam through, in secret, a measure that allows them to sell our public lands.”

According to an analysis by the Wilderness Society, the land eligible for sale would include areas around the town of Glacier and Whatcom County landmarks such as the Mount Baker Ski Area and Baker Lake.

But Mount Baker Ski Area spokesperson Amy Trowbridge tells My Bellingham Now that the ski area will likely be spared from any potential sales.

“It appears that this bill focuses on lands near population centers and is geared toward facilitating additional housing adjacent to existing developed residential areas,” Trowbridge said in an email. “Based on the stipulations found within the proposed legislation, the federal land that Mt. Baker Ski Area occupies would be disqualified from consideration for potential sale based on multiple factors.”

The budget bill, which is still in Senate, would give the secretaries of the interior and agriculture broad authority to choose which places would be sold to “any interested party.”

Senate Republicans say it would tap unused lands to boost housing availability, while critics argue the potential sales would harm wildlife habitat and local recreation areas.

Politico reports that Republicans are trying to pass the bill by July 4.