Congress is considering funding to repair public lands and nationwide.
Since 2020, the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund has funded billions in unaddressed maintenance issues. The fund expired in 2025, with more than $35 billion in repairs still needed nationwide.
Bills in both chambers of Congress to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund have widespread bipartisan support but there are divisions on what specifically the money should be spent on. Federally managed public lands contributed an estimated $56 billion and more than 340,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in 2024.
Rebecca Knuffke, senior U.S. conservation officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts, said the Legacy Restoration Fund creates economic benefits too.
“In 2025, the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund was estimated to support an average of 17,000 jobs and contribute $2 billion to the U.S. economy,” Knuffke noted.
Between 2020 and 2025, the Legacy Restoration Fund helped fund more than 1,000 repairs to recreational and visitor facilities as well as improving disability access for half of all projects.
