Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Launch Inquiry into Administration’s Corrupt Redirecting of Taxpayer Dollars for National Parks to Pay for Trump’s Vanity Projects

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Launch Inquiry into Administration’s Corrupt Redirecting of Taxpayer Dollars for National Parks to Pay for Trump’s Vanity Projects June 12, 2026 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration on its redirection of tens of millions of dollars from fees paid to the National Park Service (NPS) to fund President Donald Trump’s vanity projects in Washington, D.C. “Visitors to our national parks contribute millions of dollars to the National Park Service’s (NPS) budget by purchasing recreation passes and digital versions of the America the Beautiful Pass. The American people deserve transparency and a complete explanation of where their money is being directed,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior Doug Burgum. Some of the projects being funded by park entrance fees in the D.C. area include repairing ornamental fountains, recoating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and covering statues in gold leaf. “This loss in revenue for our parks could have devastating effects on the future viability of these public natural treasures. As of the end of Fiscal Year 2025, NPS had a backlog of deferred maintenance projects totaling over $24.2 billion. Deteriorating roads, water systems, and other park facilities pose safety concerns for visitors and over time degrade the overall park experience. The redistribution of revenues to D.C. projects could mean multiple millions of dollars lost for individual national parks around the country,” the Senators wrote. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) , 80 percent of the recreation fees paid are kept for maintenance and upkeep at the national park where the fees were collected and 20 percent can be used for other purposes by the agency. However, the allocation of this amount of park fee revenue funding to support projects for the President’s personal enjoyment is unprecedented. Additionally, the Senators emphasize that the redirecting of this money comes amidst the Administration’s drastic budget cuts to the agency and workforce reduction. “The lack of transparency around awards for these beautification projects, as well as the loss in revenue meant for the maintenance and betterment of our national parks threatens the public’s trust and the long-term integrity of our nation’s most beloved public lands. Accordingly, as we investigate the potential waste, fraud, and abuse by the administration, we request a detailed explanation for where the revenue from digital passes is being directed and what percentage of this revenue is supporting the D.C. projects rather than supporting the maintenance of our public parks,” the Senators concluded. The letter was led by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.). The full text of the letter can be found here and below. Dear Secretary Burgum: We write to inquire about the Trump administration’s allocation of fee revenues paid by Americans for national park recreation passes and America the Beautiful digital passes to support beautification projects in Washington D.C. Visitors to our national parks contribute millions of dollars to the National Park Service’s (NPS) budget by purchasing recreation passes and digital versions of the America the Beautiful Pass. The American people deserve transparency and a complete explanation of where their money is being directed. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) grants public land management agencies the ability to collect and charge fees for accessing federal recreational lands. FLREA requires that, under normal circumstances, at least 80 percent of the recreation fees paid onsite by taxpayers must be retained and used at the national park where the fees are collected. The remaining 20 percent is to be available to the agency that collected it on an agency-wide basis. This enables the National Park Service to redistribute revenues from popular parks that charge entrance fees to those parks that do not charge fees. This formula helps ensure that fees benefit visitors by creating a funding stream for the upkeep and maintenance of our national parks. Rather than distribute these fee revenues back to our national parks and public lands, it appears that the Department of the Interior has redirected fee revenues to pay for President Trump’s vanity projects around Washington, D.C. Reporting reveals that NPS is spending $60 million in fees paid by national park visitors to repair nine ornamental fountains in Washington, D.C. This is in addition to another $7 million in fees that the administration is using to fund the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Re