President Trump’s Proposed Budget Takes Axe to National Park Service

Washington, DC – Today, the Trump Administration released its budget plan for 2026, which would gut the National Park Service, jeopardizing the protection, maintenance and operation of our more than 430 national parks across the country. The administration’s budget calls for a cut of more than $1 billion to the National Park Service that if enacted would be the largest cut in the Park Service’s 109-year history. The budget also proposes turning some national park sites over to states and removing them from the National Park System, a move that has never before been proposed by a president.

Cuts of this magnitude would devastate our national parks, further pushing them into a financial hole. This proposal comes just after a record-breaking 2024, when the Park Service logged 331,863,358 visits. Despite their soaring popularity and the economic and cultural value they provide, the administration continues to systematically dismantle the Park Service—freezing hiring, forcing resignations, eliminating purchasing ability, canceling leases and banning travel. And with a major workforce reduction still looming, the worst is yet to come.

Specific Park Service-related budget cuts include:

• $900 million cut to the operation of national parks
• $73 million cut to park construction funding
• $77 million cut to recreation and preservation funding
• $197 million cut to Historic Preservation Fund

Below is a statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO, National Parks Conservation Association:

“This is the most extreme, unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency’s 109-year history. It’s nothing less than an all-out assault on America’s national parks.

“Americans love their national parks and want to see them protected, but this administration’s actions do not match the will of the people. This administration is trying to dismantle the Park Service from the inside out, slashing park staff and now attempting to give away hundreds of national park sites that protect our nation’s irreplaceable history and culture and inspire and educate millions every year.

“For generations, Americans have believed that some places are so special that they should be protected for all time, and for all to experience. And that’s the mission Congress gave to the Park Service more than one hundred years ago. The Park Service is our nation’s greatest protectors and storytellers. And our more than 430 national parks are our nation’s greatest legacy. Any effort to hand many of these sites over to the states is a betrayal, and the American people won’t stand for it. If members of Congress truly care about the future of our national parks, now is the time to speak out and put a stop to this.

“This proposal strikes at the heart of who we are as a nation. NPCA and our millions of supporters are ready to fight back—for our parks, for our history and for our future.”

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.