you are exactly right. only land for military bases, light housesvand roads leading to and from are fed owned all other land belongsvto the state. if state government was such a bunch of cowards they would take it back.
The issue is intentional state dependency on federal funding.
If I could, I would go around to all the states persuading them to become independent of the feds, kinda like how our country was founded.
I could only probably do that if Trump made me VP which has about as much chance as the sun rising in the west.