[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 18 (Thursday, February 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H945-H946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

            By Mr. GOSAR:
        H.R. 825.
        Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2. (The Property Clause.)
       The Property Clause gives Congress the power to dispose of 
     and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the 
     territory or other property belonging to the

[[Page H946]]

     United States; and states that nothing in the constitution 
     shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the 
     United States, or of any particular state. Currently, the 
     federal government possesses approximately 1.8 billion acres 
     of land. The U.S. constitution specifically addresses the 
     relationship of the federal government to land.
       The Property Clause gives Congress plenary power and full-
     authority over federal property. The U.S. Supreme Court has 
     described Congress's power to legislate under this Clause as 
     ``without limitation.'' This Act falls squarely within the 
     express constitutional power set forth in the Property 
     Clause.