The Trump administration released new details of its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget in a late Friday trash dump on the White House website. The new 1,200-page document lays out massive cuts to programs and staffing across America’s public lands and national parks. Additionally, the budget proposes to raid the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), using non-taxpayer funds to pay for park maintenance instead of land protection. This would effectively rescind the Great American Outdoors Act which Congress passed in 2020 to provide permanent funding for LWCF.
The Bureau of Land Management would be hit especially hard by the administration’s cuts, which propose slashing 75 percent of the agency’s funding from national monuments and conservation areas, 77 percent from wildlife habitat, and 63 percent from recreation management, leaving BLM with just $27 million to manage recreation for the more than 80 million people who recreate on BLM lands every year.
“You can see why President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum tried to hide this budget proposal in the dead of night—it’s indefensible,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities. “When Secretary Burgum travels to Capitol Hill in a few weeks, I’m confident he’ll get a frigid reception from both sides of the aisle if he doubles down on this plan to eviscerate the lands he’s supposed to care for on behalf of our kids and grandkids.”
The proposed budget would also eliminate more than 5,500 full-time equivalent positions from the National Park Service and 4,600 positions from the U.S. Forest Service.
Quick hits
Trump plans to offload national park sites, but states don’t want them
Burgum’s proposed budget would raid conservation fund, slash ecology program
E&E News | New York Times | Center for Western Priorities [Statement]
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Fracking chemicals used in Colorado underreported under new state law
Quote of the day
I’m tired of waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to fall back asleep because I’m concerned about how I’m going to navigate the latest staffing communiqué.”
—Kevin Heatley, former superintendent of Crater Lake National Park, Washington Post
Picture This
13 Helicopter Rescues in 7 Days
Yeah, it’s been busy. As temperatures rise in the inner canyon, so do emergency calls. In just the last week, Grand Canyon National Park staff conducted 13 medevac missions — responding to heat illness, dehydration, hyponatremia (low sodium from overhydration), and lower leg injuries.
With more heat on the way and triple digit temperatures forecasted for this weekend, hikers and backpackers — especially those attempting rim-to-rim or other strenuous routes — should be self-reliant.
⚠️Start early and avoid hiking in the inner canyon between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
💧 Carry enough water and food.
⏳ Help may be delayed due to limited staffing, high call volume, and safety protocols.
Your safety starts with your decisions. Hike Smart!
NPS Photos/J. Thompson
Featured image: Northern Lights in Alaska’s White Mountains National Recreation Area. Photo by Bob Wick (BLM)