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Funding Outlook For National Park Service Bleak At This Point

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By Kurt Repanshek - June 16th, 2023
Republican efforts to restrain government spending could be costly for the National Park Service in FY24 and FY25/Rebecca Latson file

Republican efforts to constrain government spending could be costly for the National Park Service in FY24 and FY25/Rebecca Latson file

While the debt ceiling standoff in Congress has been resolved, committee work on appropriations bills for the federal government is reflecting efforts by Republicans to fund agencies at levels below those negotiators had agreed to with President Biden.

For the National Park Service and other Interior Department bureaus, onlookers say the cuts could result in funding levels ranging from "draconian to unrealistic."

Funding for the Park Service stood to fall anyway with passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the legislation that averted default by the federal government by suspending the limit of the national debt. That's because the debt limit negotiations led to a slight reduction in FY24 funding levels for agencies and a cap on FY25 increases to just 1 percent.

A 1 percent budget increase for the Park Service in FY25 would amount to about $35 million, which falls far short of the agency's fixed annual costs of about $125 million, according to National Parks Conservation Association numbers, so cuts would have to be made to offset the loss of budgetary revenues.

While the Park Service hasn't said how those limits will impact the agency, passage of the act has been expected to lead to the loss of hundreds of rangers beginning in FY24, which arrives this coming October 1, lead to a reduction in visitor services, and possibly impact research in the parks.

Current appropriations committee work in the House has some Democrats worried that the resulting bills could lead to an impasse and a possible government shutdown later this year. A draft funding bill for the Interior Department isn't expected for about another month, but the House Interior and Environment subcommittee has been told to factor in a 35 percent cut.

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Comments

Submitted by ecbuck on June 16, 2023 - 8:39am.

Could you clarify that $125 million number.  Surely the "annual fixed costs" for the NPS is higher than $125 million.  Is that the projected increase in fixed costs?  And if they are "fixed" why are they going up.  


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