Washington, D.C. — The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has raised alarms over the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to the National Park Service, warning the plan could cripple more than 75% of the national park system.
According to NPCA estimates, the administration’s proposal to reduce the Park Service budget by over $1 billion includes a $900 million cut to park operations—the largest reduction in the agency’s 109-year history. With 433 national park units spread across the United States, this scale of funding loss would effectively eliminate budgets and staffing for at least 350 of those sites.
The list of potentially impacted parks is not expected to be available until the full presidential budget is released later this month. However, based on current financial data for park units, NPCA analysis indicates that achieving the proposed operational cuts would require closing or defunding hundreds of sites, ranging from small historical landmarks to some of the nation’s largest and most visited parks.
Despite record-high visitation numbers and significant contributions to both the economy and national heritage, the Park Service has faced increasing constraints under the current administration. Measures already in place include hiring freezes, staff attrition, limitations on purchases and travel, and the cancellation of long-term leases. A broader workforce reduction is also anticipated.
NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno issued a statement sharply condemning the proposed cuts, calling the plan “catastrophic.”
“The president’s proposed budget plan is beyond extreme. It is catastrophic,” Pierno said. “If enacted by Congress, our national park system would be completely decimated.”
She warned that the proposed cuts could shutter over 350 park sites and called the move “an all-out assault on America’s national parks.”
“Our national parks aren’t just places on a map,” she added. “They’re our shared legacy, safeguarding the beauty, history, and culture of our country. We can’t be the generation that lets an administration’s reckless agenda unravel this great legacy.”
Pierno concluded with a call to action, urging Congress to reject the proposed budget.
“Silence is complicity,” she stated. “Every member of Congress must stand up and reject this reckless proposal.”
