Congress is Back: FY26 Funding Strategies | NPS Funding Sign On Letter
Good Reads: August Updates
Congress returned to DC after spending a month back in their states and districts meeting with constituents and attending community events. The federal government runs out of money in 27 days. Hopefully, our congressional representatives are returning with a newfound sense of getting done the work of the people. Okay, probably not…
The conventional wisdom in DC is that there are three primary strategies for completing the FY26 appropriations process.
Senate Republicans are focused on the bipartisan bills that call for tens of billions of dollars in spending than the House Republicans or the White House have proposed.
House Republicans are gravitating toward a stop gap funding bill that would fund the government through mid-November giving Hill leaders and the White House more time to reach agreement on a FY26 funding deal.
The White House has signaled that it is not interested in a short term funding deal. Instead administration officials would like to fund the government through the first quarter of 2026. This would avoid repeated shutdown dramas. It would also open the door to a yearlong continuing resolution, which is something that House and Senate appropriators desperately want to avoid.
No funding resolution will pass without Democratic votes, so Democratic leadership is looking protect key priorities and get the best deal possible.
I will be tracking the appropriations discussion and looking for opportunities for tourism leaders to weigh in on the issues that matter to their communities.
One immediate advocacy opportunity is focused on the Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which provides strong funding for the parks and includes recommendations to protect key assets such as prohibiting the sale of NPS units without sign off from Congress and requiring the timely disbursement of funding for the National Heritage Areas. The National Parks Second Century Action Coalition has drafted a sign on letter to the Senate urging support for the Senate’s FY26 Interior Appropriations bill, which is distributed last month. The deadline to sign has been extended to COB tomorrow. The draft letter is pasted below. Shoot me an email if you would like your organization to sign the letter.
Current signer to the letter include:
American Society of Landscape Architects
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Friends of Acadia
Friends of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Friends of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Friends of the Women's Rights National Historical Park
The Fund for People in Parks
International Inbound Travel Association
Mount Rushmore Society
National Parks Conservation Association
National Tour Association
Partnership for the National Trail System
Public Lands Alliance
Rock Creek Conservancy
Scenic America
United States Tour Operators Association
Wild Cumberland
Good Reads
As it has been a few weeks since I updated the network, August is definitely a time for trashy novels and not policy updates, I’m sending along a few articles to bring you up to date on the state of tourism.
The Washington Post: DC tourism was already struggling. Then the National Guard arrived.
Business North Carolina: Tourism dollars create friction in some NC counties. Looks like Florida isn’t the only state debating TDAs and how to fund tourism priorities.
Bloomberg: After Disasters, Cities Race to Rescue Tourism. Here’s the Playbook.
NBC News: ‘Dear Canada’: U.S. tourist spots try to win back neighbors from the north