Trump proposes cutting funds for national parks, turning some over to states. See Florida sites

President Trump’s budget blueprint calls for $163 billion in spending cuts to non-military programs, including $1.2 billion for national parks, monuments, historic sites, seashores and trails.

That’s about 25% of the park service’s budget of $4.8 billion.

The 2026 budget plan also proposes turning some national park sites over to states, removing them from the National Park System.

The proposal quickly came under fire.

“This is the most extreme, unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency’s 109-year history,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group.

What was in Trump’s budget plan about national parks?

A letter from the president’s Office of Management and Budget to the Committee on Appropriations outlined Trump’s recommendations on “discretionary funding levels” for fiscal year 2026.

“The recommended funding levels result from a rigorous, line-by-line review of FY 2025 spending, which was found to be laden with spending contrary to the needs of ordinary working Americans and tilted toward funding niche non-governmental organizations and institutions of higher education committed to radical gender and climate ideologies antithetical to the American way of life.

“We also considered, for each program, whether the governmental service provided could be provided better by State or local governments (if provided at all). Just as the Federal Government has intruded on matters best left to American families, it has intruded on matters best left to the levels of government closest to the people, who understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities far better than the Federal Government ever could.”

That was the case in the proposal when it came to the National Park Service.

“The National Park Service responsibilities include a large number of sites that are not “National Parks,” in the traditionally understood sense, many of which receive small numbers of mostly local visitors, and are better categorized and managed as State-level parks.

“The Budget would continue supporting many national treasures, but there is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management to ensure the long-term health and sustainmentof the National Park system.”

The budget plan suggests a cut of $900 million in fiscal year 2026 for park operations.

More cuts proposed by Trump:

• National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund: The plan recommended a $158 million cut in the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund, saying, “Many historic preservation projects have matching funds from State, local, and private sources, rendering the Historic Preservation Fund highly duplicative. Further, the projects are often of local, rather than national, significance.”

• National Park Service Construction: “The Biden Administration wasted Federal funding on construction projects at sites that are more appropriately managed at the local level. This reduction (of $73 million) complements the Administration’s goals of federalism and transferring smaller, lesser visited parks to State and tribal governments. At the same time, the Budget allows NPS to prioritize larger projects at the Nation’s crown jewel parks.”

• National Park Service Recreation and Preservation: “Many National Recreation and Preservation grants are already supported by State, local, and private sector efforts, including large amounts of mandatory funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund Stateside Grants. Further, these projects are not directly tied to maintaining national parks or public lands.” The recommended cut was $77 million.

Cuts would ‘devastate’ national parks

“Cuts of this magnitude would devastate our national parks, further pushing them into a financial hole,” the National Park and Conservation Association posted on its website.

“For generations, Americans have believed that some places are so special that they should be protected for all time, and for all to experience.  Any effort to hand many of these sites over to the states is a betrayal, and the American people won’t stand for it,” Pierno said.

How many national parks are there in US?

According to the National Park Service, there are 433 national park sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Sixty-three of the sites have national park as part of their name.

How many national park sites are in Florida?

According to the National Park Service, there are 11 national park sites in Florida:

➤ See all 11 national park sites in Florida

Florida has ‘parks’ on lists for most- and least-visited

According to Smithsonian Magazine, two Florida parks made the list for the most and least visited in 2024.

The top 10 most-visited National Park Service sites in 2024 were:

1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (17,187,508 visits)

2. Blue Ridge Parkway (16,733,639 visits)

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (12,191,834 visits)

4. Gateway National Recreation Area (8,929,035 visits)

5. The Lincoln Memorial (8,479,349 visits)

6. Gulf Islands National Seashore (7,801,176 visits)

7. Natchez Trace Parkway (7,364,833 visits)

8. George Washington Memorial Parkway (6,782,717 visits)

9. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (6,412,854 visits)

10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (5,295,711 visits)

The 10 least-visited National Park Service sites in 2024 were:

1. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (11,907 visits)

2. North Cascades National Park (16,485 visits)

3. Kobuk Valley National Park (17,233 visits)

4. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (18,505 visits)

5. National Park of American Samoa (22,567 visits)

6. Isle Royale National Park (28,806 visits)

7. Katmai National Park and Preserve (​​36,230 visits)

8. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (81,670 visits)

9. Dry Tortugas National Park (84,873 visits)

10. Great Basin National Park (​​152,068 visits)

National Park sites are more than just parks. See all 20 designations

There are 20 different national park types that fall under the protection of the National Park Service. They are:

• National Historical sites: 76

• National Historical Parks: 63

• National Recreation Areas: 18

• National battlefields: 11

• National Wild and Scenic Rivers and Riverways: 10

• National Military Parks: 9

• National Scenic Trails: 6

• National Battlefield Parks: 4

• National Battlefield Site: 1

• International Historic Sites: 1

Contributing: Dinah Volyes Pulver, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: National parks US, Florida. Trump plan cuts budget, state transfer