Action Alert: Support the King Amendment to the Budget Reconciliation Bill
Amendment would rescind the $267 million funding cost for NPS staff
This is a request to act quickly. As you may know, the Senate is going to be voting all day and into tonight on amends to the budget reconciliation bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As currently written, the legislation includes a provision that cuts $267 million in unobligated funds from the Inflation Reduction Act that was dedicated for National Park Service (NPS) staffing. With park visitation hitting record highs, this is not the time to cutting NPS staff, which would have a negative impact on the visitor experience. In addition as we are working to advance tourism priorities such as establishing the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve, restoring the Blue Ridge Parkway in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and nominating key sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail for listing on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we need experienced and skilled staff to drive these efforts.
Senator Angus King (I-ME) has authored an amendment that may be taken up tonight that seeks to remove that provision and save the park staffing funds from being cut.
Take action: Call on your Senators to support the Sen King (I-ME) amendment to strip the megabill’s section that rescinds funding for the National Park Service
The message is simple but here are some background points, if you need to have a conversation with a staffer:
The amendment strikes Sec. 50305 of the budget reconciliation bill, which rescinds $267 million in direly needed funds for NPS staff.
(It also rescinds the remaining $12m in funds for climate resilience projects)
These needed funds are the remaining unobligated funds from $500m that the Inflation Reduction Act dedicated to NPS staffing. Congress dedicated those funds because NPS has lost thousands of staff over the decade due to insufficient annual appropriations.
Understaffing has been undermining NPS’ ability to meet basic needs with too few scientists, historians and others who care for irreplaceable resources, as well as insufficient staff to ensure safe and inspiring visitor experiences.
The challenge has gotten much worse with the loss of nearly 17% of NPS staff since the start of the administration. Permanent staffing continues to decline and parks are now in the busy season with thousands fewer seasonal staff than they should have this time of year.
There are a lot of amendments to be considered and the final make up of the bill remains fluid, which means that all Senators are targets. However, securing Republican votes is critical to ensuring this amendment passes on a bipartisan basis.
Our friends at the National Park Conservation Association have made these Senators the top targets:
Sen. Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Sens. Daines and Sheehy (R-Montana)
Sens. Capito and Justice (R- West Virginia)
Sen. Tillis (R- North Carolina)
Sen. Graham (R- South Carolina)
Sen. Curtis (R- Utah)
Please call or email TODAY. If you need contact information for your Senators, please let me know. Please feel free to share this call to action with your network