Why It Matters

Deferred maintenance across the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education reached $46.2 billion in fiscal 2025, a $19.4 billion (75 percent) increase from FY2020, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). This growth persists despite five years of dedicated funding from the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), established by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) in 2020. The Trump administration and Congress have clashed over how to allocate mandatory Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) spending, which the GAOA set at $900 million annually.

The Big Picture

The Bureau of Land Management alone accounted for $6.6 billion, or 14 percent, of the total deferred maintenance in fiscal 2025, while the Bureau of Indian Education carried $1.0 billion, or 2 percent. The National Park Service represented the largest share at $24.2 billion (52 percent), followed by the U.S. Forest Service at $10.8 billion (23 percent), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at $3.5 billion (8 percent).

For fiscal 2026, the Trump administration proposed devoting $387 million, or 43 percent, of LWCF funding to deferred maintenance rather than its traditional conservation purpose. Congress rejected that proposal in the fiscal 2026 appropriations law, providing more funding for land acquisition than the President requested. The Trump administration's approach reflects a shift in how it prioritizes the mandatory LWCF spending established by the GAOA.

Agencies have changed their methodologies for assessing asset conditions over time, and the accuracy of some deferred maintenance data has been questioned by the CRS. LRF projects take multiple years to complete, and new maintenance needs continue to accumulate even as existing ones are addressed. Inflation, market trends, and supply chain disruptions affect deferred maintenance estimates independently of agency efforts, making it difficult to isolate the LRF's impact on the overall backlog.

Two bipartisan bills now propose reauthorization. S. 1547, the America the Beautiful Act, would raise the annual LRF funding cap to $2.0 billion. H.R. 9250, the Great American Outdoors Act 250, would provide $1.9 billion annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to address deferred maintenance and restore recreational infrastructure. Critically, H.R. 9250 explicitly prohibits new federal land acquisition, directly contrasting with the Trump administration's proposal to redirect LWCF funds toward maintenance. The bill funds these efforts through private donations, onshore energy revenue, and new foreign visitor fees. Both bills retain mandatory spending authority while extending the fund's authorization.

The Bottom Line

The LRF expired after fiscal 2025, leaving the five beneficiary agencies without dedicated funding for deferred maintenance unless Congress acts. Reauthorization through S. 1547 or H.R. 9250 will determine whether the Trump administration and Congress can reach consensus on funding levels and allocation priorities. The outcome will signal whether the administration views deferred maintenance as a competing priority with land acquisition within the LWCF framework, or whether Congress will preserve the traditional conservation focus of the fund.

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