Why It Matters

A Congressional Research Service report updated on September 9 examines the Trump administration's proposed $2.206 billion discretionary budget for the National Park Service in fiscal 2027. The administration's request represents a 32 percent cut from the $3.267 billion NPS received in fiscal 2026 across 433 park units spanning 81 million federal acres. The House Appropriations Committee rejected that level of funding, reporting a bill on June 5 that would provide $3.225 billion for NPS, 1 percent below current funding and 46 percent above the administration's request.

NPS also projected $11.757 billion in mandatory appropriations for fiscal 2027, compared with $1.768 billion in fiscal 2026. The increase primarily reflects a request for $10 billion in mandatory funding to establish a Presidential Capital Stewardship Program for construction and beautification projects in and around Washington, D.C.

The Big Picture

The administration's request would eliminate discretionary appropriations for the Centennial Challenge account while proposing a 93 percent reduction to the National Recreation and Preservation account and a 94 percent reduction to the Historic Preservation Fund. The House proposal would instead provide $92.3 million for National Recreation and Preservation, a 1 percent increase from fiscal 2026, and $163.7 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, a 10 percent reduction.

The Historic Preservation Fund is authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act to receive $150 million annually from offshore energy revenues, although the money is available only as provided in appropriations acts. The fund supports formula grants to state and tribal historic preservation offices and nationally competitive grant programs.

NPS's fiscal 2027 request would support 13,119 full-time equivalent staff, an 18 percent reduction from fiscal 2026 enacted staffing levels. NPS full-time equivalent staffing levels had already declined by 6 percent between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2025.

Maintenance funding also differs between the administration's request and the House proposal. The administration requested $578.8 million for facility operations and maintenance, while the House proposal would provide $782.6 million. Neither proposal includes funding for line-item construction projects, although both provide funding for the broader NPS Construction account. NPS's deferred maintenance backlog was estimated at $24.237 billion at the end of fiscal 2025.

The Bottom Line

Under P.L. 119-103, if full-year appropriations are not enacted by the start of fiscal 2027, NPS will receive continuing appropriations at fiscal 2026 levels through December 11, unless other appropriations are enacted earlier.

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