NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • May 7, 2025
President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal is anathema to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. According to the organization, the budget outline presented by the president proposes to "slash funding and fundamentally alter the structure and functions" of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. "The reported staffing reductions this year, including over 4,000 at USFS, are already affecting operations across both the USFS and NPS, from trail maintenance to permitting and recreational access," the organization said. In addition, the budget proposes to potentially give to the states NPS assets that are not “national parks.” The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a unit of the National Park System, but not a national park.