ICYMI: Daines Op-Ed in The Washington Examiner: National parks are a gold mine. Congress has a chance to save them from crumbling.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner with Marcia Argust of the Pew Charitable Trusts about his bill the “America the Beautiful Act”—read it in the Washington Examiner HERE . National parks are a gold mine. Congress has a chance to save them from crumbling. The Washington Examiner Senator Steve Daines, Marcia Argust August 13, 2026 Millions of Americans are flocking to national parks this summer, enriching their lives and fueling local economies . In 2024 alone, national parks welcomed 332 million visits, and visitor spending in nearby communities generated $56.3 billion in economic output and supported more than 340,000 jobs nationwide. But national parks and other public lands will suffer unless Congress passes the America the Beautiful Act before the end of this year. … Thanks to public pressure around the centennial of the National Park Service — including broad public support for investing in park repairs and advocacy from thousands of organizations — Congress passed the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, and President Donald Trump signed it into law in 2020. The statute established the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund, directing more than $9 billion in nontaxpayer funds over five years to address priority repairs within parks and other public lands. … The legislation to extend the LRF has strong bipartisan support. One of us, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), is leading the effort in the Senate, working alongside Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Mark Warner (D-VA). The America the Beautiful Act, with nearly three-quarters of the Senate as cosponsors, recently cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with support from Chairman Mike Lee (R-UT) and ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Read the full op-ed in the Washington Examiner HERE . ### Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins