Afternoon Sun: Federal Lands Sell Off

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Nov. 11, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

At a Veterans Day event at Arlington National Cemetery, Donald Trump said he would dedicate his proposed triumphal arch to veterans. He also defended the Iran war, at one point ticking off American conflicts that brought higher death tolls, including the Vietnam War, and highlighted the sometimes decades-long nature of those operations.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The Trump administration is officially pushing to sell off federal lands to states and tribes to reduce the government’s real estate footprint, breaking with 50 years of precedent that largely limited land sales.

The White House said it’s preparing to probe Democrats in connection with their efforts to conduct oversight of the executive branch, claiming that subpoenas and other investigative tools could “cross the line into blatant criminality.”

Jared Kushner said he and fellow U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow tomorrow to meet with President Vladimir Putin, then fly to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

THE HILL

Another Epstein files discharge petition reached the 218 vote threshold after Rep. John Garamendi (D-California) signed it today, meaning a vote on the followup Epstein Files Transparency Act II bill could be forced later this month.

The Senate Health Committee scheduled a Nov. 18 vote for Heidi Overton’s nomination to serve as the next FDA commissioner, even as her future remains uncertain and partially in the hands of skeptical chair Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) announced he plans to serve as ranking member of the Health Committee next Congress, despite currently chairing the Homeland Security Committee.

• Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) now has a path to become the top Republican on Homeland Security, particularly because of his existing relationships with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), who is poised to lead the committee next year.

Mike Johnson says he expects to have enough House votes to pass a bipartisan measure that would overhaul the federal permitting system for energy and infrastructure projects, including shortening environmental reviews. “It’s really up to the Senate,” he told Bloomberg.

• Several Senate Democrats said their support is contingent on amending the bill, and the measure also faces opposition from progressive House members who want to wait until the party takes control of Congress in January.

Another procedural “oops”: A bill designed to overhaul veterans benefits passed on voice vote after Democrats, who oppose the measure, failed to request a roll call vote.

• Minority Whip Katherine Clark said House Republicans had called away Rep. Mark Takano (D-California) to go over engrossment corrections while they called the vote up — “depriving RM Takano of the ability to even evaluate the proposed changes and ask for a recorded vote.”

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — a potential Democratic 2028er — announced he has a new book coming out in March, titled “Repair: Healing a Divided Nation.”

2028: THE FIBER ELECTION?

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Gaby Morera Di Nubila. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.