Trump Redirects National Park Service Funds to White House and Mall Projects

Internal National Park Service (NPS) records obtained by journalist Scott MacFarlane reveal that the agency has reallocated roughly $423 million this year to construction and renovation projects on the White House grounds and the Washington National Mall. The White House portion alone totals $323 million, while the Mall effort adds about $100 million. These allocations dwarf the $20 million spent on the two sites during the previous administration and represent a nearly 5,000 % increase from the amount spent on similar “vanity” projects in 2024. At the same time, the documents show “multimillion-dollar reductions” in funding for flagship parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

Common Dreams

The reallocation follows a pattern of large-scale capital projects ordered by President Donald Trump, including a new ballroom in the White House East Wing, a South-Lawn helipad, a 250-foot “Triumphal Arch,” and an overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has directed cuts that divert money away from wildfire prevention and maintenance at several national parks, contributing to a reported loss of roughly 2,000 NPS employees between the start of the fiscal year and May.

Daily Beast

The combined $423 million earmarked for the White House and Mall exceeds the total annual spending of nine of the nation’s largest parks, according to the NPS data. Funding cuts have left pending projects such as tree work at the Flight 93 National Memorial, emergency wastewater repairs at Death Valley, and roof replacements at Mission San Jose in San Antonio. Critics argue that these shifts jeopardize conservation and visitor services across the system.

Daily Beast

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility executive director Tim Whitehouse has characterized the reallocation as the NPS being turned into a “piggy bank” for the president’s projects. Interior Secretary Burgum’s budgetary decisions have been framed as necessary reallocations, though no detailed justification has been released publicly. Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee have called for a public vote on whether to prioritize park preservation over the president’s constructions.

Common Dreams

• “This is theft on a grand scale,” — Fred Wellman, a Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in Missouri

Common Dreams

• “the National Park Service is being used as a piggy bank for Trump’s vanity projects,” — Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, similarly

Common Dreams