President Trump Calls For Partial Dismantling of National Park Service
After weeks and months of speculation about whether or not national parks may be transferred to states, we now have full clarity on the intentions of the Trump administration.
Today, May 2, 2025, the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Proposal was released, which contains language that alarms park lovers across the nation.
President Trump’s FY 2026 Budget Proposal Calls For Partial Dismantling of National Park Service
It says—literally—that “a large number of sites […] are not National Parks, in the traditionally understood sense, many of which receive small numbers of mostly local visitors, and better categorized and managed as State-level parks.”
Elsewhere, the document states that this “reduction complement’s the Administration’s goal of federalism and transferring smaller, lesser visited parks to State and tribal governments.”
The proposal did not specify which National Park Service (NPS) units are being considered for transfer to the state level.
Additionally, the budget proposal calls for a cut of $900 to the annual budget of the National Park Service. For reference, the current NPS budget is $3.58 billion, which would, in effect, be a massive 25% budget cut. The budget proposal requires approval from Congress.
The proposal was quickly blasted by conservation organizations.
At the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), President and CEO Theresa Pierno called it “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,” she said.
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks also issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying that “…the budget the President submitted to Congress today, with a $3.7 billion cut to the Department of Interior budget, including $900 million cut from the National Park Service, adds insult to injury as RIFs are moving forward. If enacted, it would be the largest cut ever to the National Park Service and exacerbate an already deeply problematic and dangerous situation. Congress should reject this budget and fully fund our National Parks.”
Continue reading to see the verbatim descriptions of reductions of National Park Service programs in the FY 2026 Budget Proposal.
Operation of the National Park System
$900 million budget cut
“The National Park Service (NPS) responsibilities include a large number of sites that are not “National Parks,” in the traditionally understood sense, many of which receive small numbers of mostly local visitors, and are better categorized and managed as State-level parks. The Budget would continue supporting many national treasures, but there is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management to ensure the long-term health and sustainment of the National Park system.”
NPS Historic Preservation Fund
$158 million budget cut
“Many historic preservation projects have matching funds from State, local, and private sources, rendering the Historic Preservation Fund highly duplicative. Further, the projects are often of local, rather than national, significance. The Budget would continue funding projects in partnership with HBCUs, which have a unique history.”
NPS Construction
$73 million budget cut
“The Biden Administration wasted Federal funding on construction projects at sites that are more appropriately managed at the local level. This reduction complements the Administration’s goals of federalism and transferring smaller, lesser visited parks to State and tribal governments. At the same time, the Budget allows NPS to prioritize larger projects at the Nation’s crown jewel parks. The President’s deregulatory agenda will ensure that the Great American Outdoors Act funding for construction would go further than ever before.”
NPS National Recreation and Preservation
$77 million budget cut
“Many National Recreation and Preservation grants are already supported by State, local, and private sector efforts, including large amounts of mandatory funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund Stateside Grants. Further, these projects are not directly tied to maintaining national parks or public lands, which have a large backlog of maintenance and are more important to address than community recreation initiatives.”
You can read the President’s entire Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Proposal here.
