The Trump administration’s push to spend less on maintaining trails in national forests has hit a snag in Congress.
Lawmakers increased funding for trails in the fiscal 2026 spending package awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature, moving in the opposite direction of what the White House was seeking as the forests’ declining condition makes headlines.
The package, which covers the Interior Department and related agencies, such as the Forest Service, sets trail maintenance at $22 million for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, or $2 million more than in fiscal 2025. The administration had requested $8 million.
“Congress recognized the funding needs for trail maintenance and the reports coming out of the Forest Service on the declining condition of trails justifying the increase,” said Tyler Ray, senior director of programs and advocacy at the American Hiking Society, based in Silver Spring, Maryland.
