Why it Matters
The national park system is sitting on roughly $10 billion in deferred maintenance, the fund that was paying it down has expired, and the Trump administration's budget proposals have moved to cut construction and maintenance spending even further. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's business meeting on S. 1547, the America the Beautiful Act, on June 17 is the first real procedural test of whether Congress will step in to fill that gap.
The Legacy Restoration Fund, created under the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020, provided up to $1.3 billion per year for five years, totaling $6.5 billion through fiscal year 2025. It expired after that fiscal year, leaving no dedicated stream of mandatory funding for park infrastructure. DOGE staff cuts in 2025 reduced the number of full-time National Park Service employees by approximately 24 percent. The Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal significantly cut appropriated deferred maintenance funding for the agency, and its fiscal year 2027 proposal would cap the annual NPS construction budget at less than $50 million.
What S. 1547 Would Do
S. 1547 would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund through fiscal year 2033, an eight-year extension, and raise the annual funding cap from $1.3 billion to $2 billion per year. The bill would also expand eligibility to include lands administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to national parks, national forests, BLM lands, and Bureau of Indian Education schools already covered.
The bill includes a provision directing the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to prioritize projects that attract private donations of at least 15 percent of total project costs, and would require agencies to solicit public donations during the checkout process when purchasing America the Beautiful recreation passes.
Broad Support Heading Into the Hearing
Lead sponsor Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), a committee member, introduced the bill on May 1, 2025. It has accumulated 51 cosponsors, including 16 Republicans and 16 Democrats, with 13 members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee among them. Neither Chair Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) nor ranking member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) is a cosponsor.
The House is moving in parallel. Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced the Great American Outdoors Act 250 on June 10, which would provide $1.9 billion annually over five years, a total of $6.6 billion, for public lands maintenance and infrastructure.
The business meeting is set for 9:30 AM on Wednesday, June 17 at 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
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