Parks Group to Congress: Our National Parks Need More Staff and Funding, Not Less

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year 2026 bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, proposing more cuts to the National Park Service that is already being decimated by the administration’s attacks. If enacted, the bill would slash $176 million—more than 6%—from the Park Service’s operations budget at a time when parks are reeling from senseless administrative decisions that have gutted staffing, frozen hiring and pushed the National Park System into crisis.

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been sounding the alarm for months, urging Congress to step up and protect our most treasured places. The Park Service has already lost 24% of its permanent staff since January, and the agency’s capacity to care for our nation’s most iconic places is collapsing. Visitor centers are reducing hours, trails and facilities are falling into disrepair, and the long-term protection of irreplaceable natural and cultural resources is at risk. While the House bill rejects the administration’s most damaging budgetary proposals, it would still make the challenges facing our parks even more difficult.

Additionally, the bill includes a $37 million (21%) cut to construction funding, threatening to limit the Park Service’s ability to tackle critical maintenance projects and the growing deferred maintenance backlog, a problem Congress has agreed needs bipartisan action.

This bill also includes significant cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposing a damaging 23% reduction in funding ($2.1 billion) that would undercut essential science, cutting programs protecting clean air, water and restoring our park landscapes.

The bill calls for a multitude of policy provisions that undermine our national parks and public lands, including less protection for national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act, removing endangered species protections for grizzly bears, and withdrawing protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the watershed for Voyageurs National Park.

The National Park Service is only a tiny slice of our federal budget — less than one-fifteenth of one percent — yet delivers significant economic benefits, with more than $15 in economic activity generated for each dollar invested. While the popularity of national parks has skyrocketed over the years, staffing and funding levels have not. The Park Service is already chronically underfunded and is now facing a staffing crisis. The additional cuts proposed in the House’s Interior appropriations bill would only make matters worse if it were to become law.

Below is a statement from John Garder, Senior Director of Budget and Appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):

“Our national parks are in crisis, and it’s no accident. The administration’s actions have gutted staffing as the Park Service has lost nearly a quarter of its permanent workforce since January. Instead of stepping up to undo this damage, the House Appropriations Committee is proposing to slash $176 million from the agency’s operating budget, asking park staff to stretch even more with even less.

“Lawmakers rightly rejected the administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for entire park sites, a move that would have dismantled the National Park System as we know it. That outcome would have been catastrophic, and NPCA commends Congress for standing up against it.

“But if enacted, this bill would deal a serious blow to the Park Service’s ability to protect the places Americans love. Parks are already cutting visitor center hours, closing campgrounds and canceling programs due to staffing shortages. If this becomes next summer’s budget, these additional cuts will put visitor safety, experiences, and irreplaceable natural and historic treasures at greater risk.

“Members of Congress have a responsibility to protect these places for future generations. They should be solving problems, not making them worse. NPCA is calling on members of Congress to reject this bill and will continue to hold them accountable. Our national parks are among the most unifying and cherished places in the country. They deserve more investment, more protection, and more respect than this.”

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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.