National Park Service faces $24 billion backlog as funds are diverted

More than $90 million in national park entry fees has been steered into Washington, D.C., beautification work even as the National Park Service says its repair backlog has climbed to an estimated $24 billion across about 400 sites. The money was meant for park repairs, yet it has helped pay for a rush of projects tied to the capital ahead of America 250.

The National Park Service said on January 8, 2026, that it was undertaking a comprehensive effort to restore fountains, rehabilitate historic landscapes and address aging infrastructure across Washington. NPS documents say some of those projects in National Mall and Memorial Parks were supposed to be finished by May 2026. The work includes fountain restoration, statue restoration, plaza repairs and turf work, along with work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that includes cleaning the pool, repairing joints and installing lining material.

The agency has also said it is adding an immersive museum beneath the Lincoln Memorial, with construction expected to be completed in 2026, in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence. NPS’s 250th commemoration materials say the parks system is celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026 and that national parks across the country will be part of the commemoration, even as entry-fee dollars are being pulled toward Washington projects.

The spending has drawn a direct challenge from Capitol Hill. Sen. Adam Schiff and other Senate Democrats opened an inquiry in June 2026, pressing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the use of entrance fees for projects in Washington. The senators argued the money should be returned to national parks and public lands, and said the diversion could mean multiple millions of dollars lost for individual parks around the country.

The controversy has widened as the dollar figures have climbed. Contracts reviewed in earlier reporting showed at least $60 million of NPS funds going to Washington, D.C.-based projects, including work on fountains and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Later reporting put the total Washington project amount at least $73 million. The Washington area work has focused on one of the system’s most visible sites: National Mall and Memorial Parks, which the service calls “America’s Front Yard” and says draws millions of visitors each year.

Former President Joe Biden also publicly criticized the reflecting pool and other Washington renovation projects in late June 2026, a rare rebuke that underscored how politically sensitive the spending had become. With the maintenance backlog still at $24 billion, the question now is how much longer repairs at parks nationwide will wait while entrance fees finance the capital’s makeover.