HR 2400: Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025

HR 2400 in plain English: This bill directs the Department of the Interior to take approximately 603.94 acres of land in California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, making that land part of the tribe's reservation. The acreage includes about 583.79 acres of Forest Service land and about 40.18 acres already held by the tribe, with gaming prohibited on the transferred land.

Stated purpose

The bill directs the federal government to take approximately 603.94 acres of land in California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, making those lands part of the tribe's reservation.

Key points

• Takes approximately 603.94 acres of California land into federal trust for the Pit River Tribe
• Transfers roughly 583.79 acres of Forest Service-managed land, excluding about 20.03 acres of roads and rights-of-way
• Includes approximately 40.18 acres of fee land already held by the tribe
• Prohibits gaming on any of the land taken into trust

Arguments supporters make

• This transfer helps restore land to a federally recognized tribe, honoring treaty obligations and supporting tribal self-governance and economic development.
• The bill has bipartisan support and explicitly prohibits gaming, addressing a common concern about tribal land-into-trust transfers.
• Transferring land the tribe already partly holds as fee land into trust status gives the tribe stronger legal protections and management authority over their own territory.

Arguments opponents make

• Moving federal Forest Service land out of public ownership reduces land available for all Americans to use and may limit federal management of natural resources in the area.
• The acreage figures differ between the House-passed version and the Senate amendment, raising questions about whether the final boundaries and terms have been clearly settled.
• Critics of land-into-trust transfers generally argue the process removes land from local tax rolls and local government jurisdiction, shifting costs and authority away from surrounding communities.

Tradeoffs

Transferring federally managed public land to tribal trust status expands tribal sovereignty and land holdings but removes that acreage from the broader federal public land system and potentially from local tax bases, balancing tribal interests against those of neighboring communities and the general public.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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