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June 26, 2023
National Park Service: FY2024 Appropriations
The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National
include NPS’s share from the National Parks and Public
Park System, which includes 424 units valued for their
Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF)—the deferred
natural, cultural, and recreational importance. System lands
maintenance fund established by the GAOA—which is
cover 81 million federal acres and 4 million nonfederal
allocated from a DOI department-wide account.
acres. As part of the Department of the Interior (DOI), NPS
receives funding in annual appropriations laws for Interior,
NPS’s Appropriations Accounts
Environment, and Related Agencies. Selected issues for
NPS has five discretionary appropriations accounts (Figure
Congress include the overall staffing levels supported by
1). The majority of NPS discretionary appropriations
NPS appropriations, funding to address NPS’s backlog of
typically have gone to the Operation of the National Park
deferred maintenance, allocations for NPS land acquisition,
System (ONPS) account to support day-to-day activities,
and funds for NPS assistance to nonfederal entities.
programs, and services at park units. These include resource
stewardship, visitor services, park protection, facility
FY2024 Request
operations and maintenance, and administrative costs.
The Biden Administration requested $3.764 billion in
Figure 1. NPS Discretionary Appropriations Accounts
discretionary appropriations for NPS for FY2024. The
(percentages reflect FY2023 appropriations)
requested amount is 8% higher than NPS’s FY2023
discretionary appropriation of $3.475 billion enacted in P.L.
117-328, Division G, the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2023. (The FY2023 total does not include $1.500 billion
provided in P.L. 117-328, Division N, as supplemental
funding in response to natural disasters, which is designated
as emergency spending outside of discretionary spending
limits.) The FY2024 request includes increases for three
accounts and level funding or a reduction for two accounts
compared with FY2023 (Table 1).
The Administration also estimated $1.200 billion in
mandatory appropriations for NPS for FY2024, a decrease
of 2% from the estimated NPS mandatory funding for
FY2023. These mandatory appropriations come from
entrance and recreation fees, concessioner fees, donations,
Source: Joint explanatory statement for P.L. 117-328.
and other sources, and also include land acquisition funding
Notes: ONPS = Operation of the National Park System.
from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF, 54
NR&P = National Recreation and Preservation. FY2023 data do not
U.S.C. §§200301 et seq.), designated as mandatory
reflect supplemental (emergency-designated) appropriations in P.L.
appropriations by the Great American Outdoors Act
117-328, Division N, to address natural disasters.
(GAOA; P.L. 116-152). NPS’s mandatory total does not
Table 1. NPS Discretionary Appropriations by Account ($ in millions)
FY2023 Enacted
FY2024
% Change from
Account
(P.L. 117-328)
Request
FY2023
Operation of the Nat’l. Park System
2,923.4
3,189.8
+9%
Construction
239.8a
286.6
+20%
Historic Preservation Fund
204.5
177.9
-13%
Nat’l. Recreation and Preservation
92.5
95.2
+3%
Centennial Challenge
15.0
15.0
—
Total
3,475.3
3,764.5
+8%
Sources: CRS, with information from the House Committee on Appropriations. Totals may not sum precisely due to rounding.
a. Does not include supplemental funding provided in P.L. 117-43 to address natural disasters, which is designated as emergency spending
outside of discretionary spending limits.
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National Park Service: FY2024 Appropriations
NPS’s Construction account covers repair, replacement,
and “Repair and Rehabilitation” in the ONPS account) have
and improvement of existing facilities as well as new
been primary sources of discretionary funding for NPS DM.
construction. Projects are evaluated based on criteria related
For FY2023, P.L. 117-328 provided $262.7 million for
to the condition of assets, their importance to park
these two budget subactivities; for FY2024, the
purposes, and project benefits and risks. The account also
Administration requested $264.7 million. Portions of other
covers other construction activities and planning.
NPS discretionary budget activities also are used for DM.
NPS administers historic preservation programs through its
The majority of mandatory spending for NPS DM derives
Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) account. Under the
from the GAOA (P.L. 116-152), enacted in 2020. To
National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. §§300101 et
address DM of five agencies, the GAOA established the
seq.), the HPF receives $150 million annually from offshore
LRF, which receives deposits over five years based on
energy revenues, but monies are available only as provided
amounts of federal energy revenues. For FY2021-FY2023,
in appropriations acts. Most funding goes to state and tribal
funding met the annual cap of $1.9 billion, with 70%
historic preservation offices as formula grants to preserve
(approximately $1.3 billion) allocated to NPS. NPS must
cultural and historical assets. Congress also has provided
submit, in annual budget justifications, lists of DM projects
some funding for nationally competitive grant programs.
to be funded from the LRF. Appropriators may specify
alternate allocations. For FY2023, appropriators made some
The National Recreation and Preservation (NR&P) account
changes to NPS’s proposed allocations. Separately,
funds NPS programs that assist state, local, tribal, and
allocations from the Highway Trust Fund support NPS road
private land managers with grants for outdoor recreation
repair and improvements, including DM. Other mandatory
planning, natural and cultural resource preservation, and
funding sources, such as recreation fees, also have been
other activities. The largest single program funded through
used for NPS DM. See CRS In Focus IF11636, The Great
the account is NPS assistance to national heritage areas.
American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-152); and CRS Report
R44924, National Park Service Deferred Maintenance:
The Centennial Challenge account supports the National
Frequently Asked Questions.
Park Centennial Challenge Fund (54 U.S.C. §§103501 et
seq.), which matches donations for projects or programs
Land Acquisition Funding
that further the NPS mission and visitor experience. The
The GAOA shifted LWCF land acquisition funding from
fund also receives offsetting collections from senior pass
discretionary to mandatory spending. For FY2023, NPS
sales under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
received $461.8 million in mandatory appropriations from
(16 U.S.C. §§6801 et seq.).
the LWCF. Allocation of the funding remains an issue in
the appropriations process, as the GAOA requires that
Issues for Congress
agency budget submissions include program and project
NPS Staffing Capacity
allocations for the LWCF funds, and appropriations acts
may specify alternate allocations. For example, in FY2023,
In March 2023 testimony before the House Appropriations
appropriators included one NPS land acquisition project as
Committee, the NPS Director highlighted declines in NPS
community project funding/congressionally directed
staffing since FY2011. NPS full-time equivalent (FTE) staff
spending (also known as earmarks). For more information,
levels have declined by an estimated 12% since that time,
see CRS Report RL33531, Land and Water Conservation
based on data in agency budget justifications. The estimated
Fund: Overview, Funding History, and Issues; and CRS In
decline for the past decade (FY2014-FY2023) is smaller, at
Focus IF11636, The Great American Outdoors Act (P.L.
3%. During that decade, 26 new units were added to the
116-152).
system. (See CRS Report R42757, National Park Service
(NPS) Appropriations: Ten-Year Trends.) Across all
NPS Assistance to Nonfederal Sites and Programs
accounts, NPS’s FY2024 request would support a 7%
Some Members of Congress and other stakeholders have
increase in FTE staff (from an estimated 19,390 to 20,759).
questioned whether NPS assistance to nonfederal sites and
Also, P.L. 117-169, commonly known as the Inflation
programs should be reduced, to better focus on the agency’s
Reduction Act of 2022, appropriated $500.0 million,
“core” mission of managing national parks. In particular,
available through FY2030, to hire NPS employees.
some have encouraged national heritage areas, which are
Deferred Maintenance
nonfederally managed, to develop plans for self-sufficiency,
NPS’s backlog of deferred mainte
but Congress has increased heritage area funding over the
nance (DM), estimated by
past decade as new areas have been added. Two NPS
NPS at $22.3 billion as of the end of FY2022, has been a
discretionary accounts (NR&P and HPF) provide funding
significant issue in the appropriations process. Despite
for nonfederal assistance. Combined, they represented
legislation and agency actions aimed at addressing the
roughly 10% of total NPS funding in FY2023. For FY2024,
backlog, it has increased over the past decade, including a
the Administration’s request would decrease combined
59% increase between FY2020 and FY2021 that NPS
funding for the two accounts. See CRS Report RL33462,
attributes primarily to changes in its methods for estimating
National Heritage Areas: Background and Issues for
DM. Congress may continue to assess NPS’s progress in
Congress; and CRS Report R45800, The Federal Role in
addressing DM, including the balance of discretionary and
Historic Preservation: An Overview.
mandatory funding provided for this purpose.
Two discretionary appropriations subactivities (“Line-Item
Laura B. Comay, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
Construction and Maintenance” in the Construction account
IF12436
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National Park Service: FY2024 Appropriations
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