This week marks the start of summer vacation and peak season for national parks nationwide. Families are packing up to explore Yosemite, Yellowstone, Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, and countless other iconic places.
National parks, forests, and other public lands are opening their gates, ready to welcome summer visitors. But park staff are sounding the alarm: by mid-season, those same visitors may be met with shuttered visitor centers, closed trails, and “Staffing Shortage” signs. With fewer rangers on duty and critical roles left unfilled, workers are deeply concerned about keeping parks clean, safe, and functioning, especially with record-breaking summer crowds straining already limited resources.
The Trump administration's proposed 2026 budget eliminates $1.2 billion from the National Park Service—nearly 40% of its current funding. And now, the House of Representatives has just passed a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that deepens the crisis.
This bill strips away every remaining dollar of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Park Service, including $500 million for staffing and $250 million for Conservation and Resilience projects.
Here's what the bill includes:
❌ Deep Cuts to National Park Service Funding: The bill slashes funding for the National Park Service, threatening Americans' ability to enjoy public lands and museums.
⚠️ Expansion of Harmful Mining Activities: The legislation allows harmful and dirty mining activities, hastening ecosystem decline and removing habitat protections for numerous species.
🛢️ Promotion of Dirty Energy: The bill promotes dirty energy by requiring fossil fuel lease sales while prohibiting growth in clean energy projects.
📉 Defunding Environmental Justice Initiatives: It exacerbates environmental discrimination against rural and poor communities by defunding environmental justice initiatives.
While some of the worst provisions were removed—thanks to thousands of advocates like you—this bill is still devastating. And it's not law yet.
Now, the Senate has a choice: Pass this anti-park legislation, or fight back.
This is about more than budget numbers. It's about the soul of our public lands—access, equity, and protecting the places that shape our summers and fuel local economies.
If we don't stop this now, future generations may never know the wild beauty we're fighting for.
This is our moment to draw the line. The harm is real, the timeline is urgent, and the consequences are lasting.
