The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is once again raising concerns over a new round of devastating proposed budget cuts for our national parks.
Today, the Trump Administration released its 2027 budget proposal, which, like last year’s, would gut the National Park Service, threatening the protection, maintenance, and operation of more than 430 national parks nationwide.
Massive budget cuts proposed
The proposal makes sweeping cuts across the Park Service budget, including a $736 million reduction (more than 25%) to park operations, likely eliminating thousands more park staff after a year of severe losses.
National parks seeing record visitation
The administration’s plan to slash park funding comes as millions of people are flocking to national parks and planning their summer trips. The latest Park Service visitation report confirmed 26 parks set record attendance last year alone, highlighting just how much people cherish these places. Yet as demand and pressure on parks grow, funding and staffing continue to shrink.
Since January 2025, the Park Service has lost nearly 25% of its workforce—more than 4,000 staff—due to pressured resignations and early retirements and ongoing barriers to hiring. This follows a 13% decline in park staff since 2011, even as visitation has risen 19%, topping 323 million visits in 2025. These cuts have already led to fewer ranger-led programs, weakened resource protection, delayed maintenance, and diminished visitor experiences.
Maintenance backlog still a major concern
NPCA is encouraged that the administration continues to recognize the importance of addressing deferred maintenance needs in our national parks by asking Congress to extend the Legacy Restoration Fund that was established by the Great American Outdoors Act but expired last year. Our national parks face more than $23 billion in needed repairs across the system. Addressing these needs is essential to ensure future generations can experience these places as we have.
Americans oppose cuts to national parks
A recent national poll shows Americans are united on national parks. They want parks protected, funded and staffed. In fact, more than two-thirds of Americans reject the drastic cuts to park budgets this administration has pursued.
With Congress now set to review the proposal, NPCA and park advocates are calling on lawmakers to reject these harmful cuts and instead uphold their responsibility to protect our nation’s public lands.
Specific National Park Service–related budget proposals include:
• Establishes a $10 billion “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” within NPS to “coordinate, plan, and execute targeted, priority construction and beautification projects in and around Washington, D.C.” Current budget documents don’t clarify how much would address D.C.’s $1.5 billion deferred maintenance backlog, cover routine upkeep across NPS sites, or fund new construction. This $10 billion represents nearly half of the Park System’s total deferred maintenance backlog, yet it’s unclear why new construction is prioritized, especially without a plan for maintaining new infrastructure.
• Cuts the annual National Park Service Construction budget to less than $50 million, leaving it with 72% less funding to address repairs compared to 2025.
• Supports reauthorization of the Legacy Restoration Fund established by the Great American Outdoors Act to repair and reconstruct infrastructure in national parks and other federal public lands.
• Cuts $4.6 billion (52%) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency responsible for enforcing vital laws like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. Slashing these programs would increase pollution, harm air and water quality in our national parks, and endanger the health of visitors and nearby communities.
• Cuts the National Heritage Area program by approximately 87%, undermining the bipartisan investment Congress just made to this critical program that supports community-driven efforts to protect historic resources.
• Slashes funding for federal land acquisition projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, undermining bipartisan support to protect national parks from incompatible development.
• Slashes the Historic Preservation Fund by 95%, eliminating opportunities for communities and tribes to protect historically and culturally irreplaceable resources throughout the country.
Statement by John Garder, Senior Director of Budget and Appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association:
“A cut this massive would be catastrophic. After a year of deep staffing cuts, dwindling resources, and attacks on history and science, park staff are already at the brink. Park maintenance needs are growing, protections are eroding, and visitor experience is declining. This proposal would only accelerate the damage, putting our national parks at even greater risk and further cutting the park staff needed to care for our national treasures.
“At the same time, the administration appears to be prioritizing a vague set of new construction projects across Washington, D.C., proposing $10 billion for this program alone, which is more than three times the annual budget of the National Park Service. We support efforts to modernize and repair park infrastructure, but not when it’s paired with massive cuts to Park Service operations.
“Communities across the country rely on national parks for jobs, education, and cultural preservation. Investing in national parks is investing in America, which is why a majority of Americans across the political spectrum reject these kinds of cuts. They want parks protected, fully staffed, and accessible for future generations, not hollowed out by senseless budgets.”
MORE RECENT NATIONAL PARK NEWS:
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- National park murder headlines miss what’s really putting visitors at risk
- National parks drop timed-entry reservations in 2026; RVers may pay the price
RVT1255b
This coming from a person who lives in a National Historic Landmark in Florida!!
And has probably never visited a National Park. Unless by chance it has a Golf course.
Maybe take some of the wasted money used to fly back and forth from his house.
He doesn’t have a house. It’s a MANSION!!
Hello RVTravel,
How about you folks include a method to communicate our concerns to the appropriate people who can influence the decisions made regarding the National Parks. That would have been very helpful…
To Glen and Bob – appreciate that you are disappointed with the current administration. How about you two contribute to the cause and make positive changes to the current situation. That would help too…
This is outstanding news. Thanks for sharing it with your readers. Between all of these savings and going after the more than $800,000,000,000.00 of annual fraud, eliminating subsidies for electric cars and windmills, we might actually balance a budget again someday. I’m just happy these savings won’t be going to the opening of any new LEARING Centers.
Awesome report, thanks again.
😎✌️
Your comment would have validity had it actually come to fruition. The unfortunate facts though show the current administration is spending money faster than any administration in USA history. This spending has sent the national debt in excess of the current GDP “Insolvent”. On top of this, the waste and abuse people cited as the reason for voting for the current administration has become worse than at anytime in history. Inflation is at record high for no reason other than current whitehouse policies and actions, farmers are being foreclosed on at a faster rate than anytime in US history, and now home foreclosures are headed towards record highs, while the US Gov is gold leafing statues.WTF
Another article to stir the pot of political division. Maybe RVT could consider not allowing any comments on articles like this.
Yup, or stop publishing political hit pieces altogether because when you publish a political piece, more than one point of view will always be offered in the comments. Both tribes will commit to the furtherance of the conversation.
This is a factual report, no politics. You only see politics because it reflects poorly on the current administration. Others here see this report as accurate and factual, based on .GOV’s own records. It is sad those who don’t like the report blame the reporter vs: recognize and accept the facts supporting the report. How about we learn from what we read and use it for better decision making in the future…!!
I don’t understand some of the comments here. Either the prices to enter goes up or the costs to keep the gates open go down.
If you’re an oligarch who has endless funds, expense reduction might be unpalatable but if you’re a middle class family putting more to taxes than savings, something has got to give.
This isn’t about right versus left, it’s about income versus expense.
To overcome $23B in deferred maintenance, you either collect more income from the few that can afford it or you reduce debt. The $23B deferred maintenance will grow unless income increases or expenses decrease. “More of the same” is not a solution.
I looked up actual budget figures and the NPS overall budget increased marginally from 2024 to 2025 by over 100 million and the 2026 appropriation is only 2% lower than last year year but will likely be made up by discretionary spending. The president can’t enact budgets he only can suggest. Only Congress does.
Cutting out the fat in a bloated bureaucracy is not “gutting” the Park Service. Most government agencies are poorly managed with crippling Union restrictions and no accountability for poor performance.
Park employees are not all above reproach. I have seen many that should be fired.
Some parks offices far over staffed. The volunteer host on the other hand often more helpful.
And privately owned and operated parks can be awesome.
The problem is at the macro level. Any CEO taking over a business that takes in $5 trillion revenue annually and spends $7 trillion annually with a total accumulating debt of $38 trillion has to cut somewhere. Where do you cut? No one will like anything that is cut. It is a bad situation politicians put us in.
Most of the people I have seen working in the parks are not breaking a sweat working. Bids on any government project are outlandish. Outside Tucson in the Coronado National Forest the kids held in Juvenile, who had been good, were loaded up and taken to the campsites where they would clean, maintain and repair campsites and areas. Well that was cut out and now some private company has let it run down while charging people just to enter the camp areas. Why are we paying to keep prisoners, those getting benefits, summer camp kids just sitting around when they could easily help. The answer is not throwing more money at everything, how about REAL thought going into everyday projects!!
Ok, I will jump in here. I’ve been “gone” for awhile after I was “exiled” (perhaps self imposed?) for making a comment about making Liberal’s heads explode, but I’m back with a vengeance in solidarity with Cancelproof and Bob Walter! 🙂 Rather acerbic commentary on the referenced topic, my non-partisan comment is that the $1.5 billion deferred maintenance referenced didn’t suddenly appear after November 2024, it’s been happening (and compounding) for decades across several administrations. (And I still loathe incessantly barking dogs😉). Cheers!
In February, we visited Suguaro, Grand Canyon, Montezuma’s Castle, Painted Desert-Petrified Forest, Sunset Crater, Glen Canyon dam, Walnut Canyon in Arizona. All were well staffed, all in good shape. Probably too well staffed in some parks. Park roads were good shape. Clean bathrooms. Overall, it was an awesome month’s vacation.
The sky ain’t falling Chicken Littles. The TDS tribe should chill. He’s gone in Jan. 2029 and you’ll find something else to complain about then. Complain, complain.
If we ever needed proof that Trump cares nothing about what matters to the majority of Americans, this is it.
If the moneyNOT spent on the parks could be spent on the pavement getting to the parks perhaps our trailer wouldn’t be falling apart.
As a retired Federal Agent I have seen the Federal Government grow so much I was actually appalled at the growth rate. Nobody ever wants to cut back so when the current administration started cutting I saw that as a positive. I also live across from a National Park and believed they too were over staffed. It is much cheaper to allow/contract with the local jurisdiction (usually the Sheriffs office) to patrol some of the smaller parks than to employ a Federal Agent. I do not expect to change anyone’s mind, just stating what I have observed first hand.
Thank you for the news, RV Travel. Seems quite odd to “address” dilapidated infrastructure for national parks one year and then make large budgetary/operating cuts. Generally alternating “go-no-go” strategies is wasteful and entirely unproductive. Perhaps the former was to put “lipstick on a pig” before trying to privatize it. In any case, all quite puzzling (he says while sitting in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground). Have a great day and safe travels!
Welcome to legislation under California Democratic leadership of Gavin Newsom. The Democrats have gutted the state by transferring billions of tax $ funds, taken for things like road maintenance, to give free medical, education, housing, etc for illegal immigrants who pay nothing into the tax base. Seems hypicritical to cry foul only when Republicans do it.