Interior Secretary Doug Burgum insisted this week that efficiency could make up for a 40 percent reduction to the National Park Service maintenance budget, and vowed that a proposed $10 billion "Presidential Capital Stewardship Program" would not fund projects like President Donald Trump's massive proposed triumphal arch in Washington.
Questioned by members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee on Wednesday about Trump's 2027 budget proposal, which includes the parks' maintenance cut and more broadly a 13 percent cut to the Interior Department, Burgum defended the cuts by saying the government could perform maintenance more “efficiently,” according to the Center for Western Priorities.
Along with Park Service cuts,Trump's budget request asks Congress for a $10 billion “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” dedicated to the nation’s capital. Burgum insisted the funds are intended for maintenance.Yet the amount dwarfs the roughly $2 billion that the Interior Department has estimated is the amount of the Park Service's deferred maintenance backlog for Washington.
"There's no dollars that are in that project for future theoretical proposed projects," the secretary replied when asked by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, what the additional $8 billion was for and whether the money would fund the so-called Independence Arch that Trump wants to build in Washington. That controversial project is designed to be 250-feet tall and dwarf the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
King pressed him to confirm that none of the presidential fund was for "construction of new monuments."
"Correct," Burgum replied. He also said that the $2 billion figure for Washington's maintenance backlog "grossly underestimates" what is needed for such projects in the area.
In comparison, at the end of fiscal year 2025, the Park Service reported an estimated $24 billion in repair needs (deferred maintenance) existed on roads, buildings, utility systems, and other structures and facilities across the National Park System. The Trump administration proposes reauthorizing the Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, which would help cover deferred maintenance costs, but it would only provide $1.9 billion annually for 5 years.
“It’s time for Secretary Burgum to tell President Trump that all of America’s parks need attention, not just the ones outside the president’s window,” said Kate Groetzinger, communications manager for the Center for Western Priorities.
Burgum in his opening statement said that the new $10 billion presidential fund would enable the administration "to coordinate, plan and execute targeted, priority construction and beautification projects in and around Washington, D.C. to address years of inadequate maintenance." The projects would improve safety, accessibility and rehabilitation for historic buildings and landscapes and "enhance architectural grandeur," he said.
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