Van Hollen Challenges Schumer as Interior Proposes Public Land Sales

Washington entered a post-election transition on Thursday as Senate Democrats opened a rare leadership contest ahead of the January 2027 congressional session, the Department of the Interior outlined plans to auction federal land parcels across four western states, and the House of Representatives advanced a veterans cost-of-living measure during its lame-duck sitting.

Chris Van Hollen Challenges Chuck Schumer for Senate Democratic Leader

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced Thursday that he will challenge New York Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate Democratic leader when the new Congress convenes in January 2027. Following the November 2026 midterm elections, in which Democrats flipped seats in Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Alaska to win a 51-49 Senate majority, Van Hollen called for generational change and a more assertive legislative strategy.

Schumer, who has led the Senate Democratic caucus since 2017, said he has the support of a majority of returning and incoming Democratic senators to become majority leader. The closed-door leadership vote is scheduled for early December on Capitol Hill.

Interior Department Proposes Selling Western Public Lands

In the executive branch, the Trump administration unveiled a proposal through the Department of the Interior to auction thousands of acres of federal public lands across western states to reduce the size of the federal estate. Officials said the land sales in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado would generate revenue for the U.S. Treasury and unlock parcels near growing municipalities for housing, energy, and commercial development.

Conservation groups and western Democratic lawmakers condemned the plan, warning that privatizing Bureau of Land Management parcels would block public recreation access and fragment wildlife habitats. Legal experts noted that large-scale disposals of federal land require congressional authorization under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

House Passes Veterans COLA and Claims Bill by Voice Vote

On the House floor, lawmakers passed a veterans benefits Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and disability claims modernization bill by voice vote during a lame-duck session on Thursday. While the underlying legislation enjoyed broad bipartisan support to ensure veterans' disability compensation keeps pace with inflation, several lawmakers objected to the leadership's decision to pass the measure by voice vote without a recorded roll call.

Critics argued that bundling administrative fee adjustments into an unrecorded voice vote bypassed transparency rules. The bill now heads to the Senate for final clearance before the end of the congressional session.