Congress faces deadline to renew funding that sustains parks and local economies

Summer tourism drove 332 million visits to national parks in 2024, spurring $56.3 billion in spending for surrounding communities and sustaining more than 340,000 jobs. The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 established the Legacy Restoration Fund, which over five years allocated more than $9 billion to repair roads, trails, water systems and visitor facilities across parks, forests, wildlife refuges and BIE schools. Since its inception, the fund has supported over 1,600 projects, generated about $2 billion in annual economic output, and created roughly 72,600 year-long jobs through National Park Service work alone.

The fund’s expiration in September 2025 leaves a $35 billion maintenance deficit that could fall to taxpayers unless Congress passes the America the Beautiful Act. The bill enjoys strong bipartisan backing, with Sen. Steve Daines leading Senate efforts and nearly three-quarters of senators co-sponsoring; it recently cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In the House, Chairman Bruce Westerman and ranking member Jared Huffman shepherded a companion measure that received unanimous committee approval and is approaching 250 co-sponsors. Reauthorizing the fund would preserve park infrastructure, protect historic landscapes, and continue to bolster local economies.