After a bipartisan rebuff from Congress for its plans for a widespread selloff of federal public lands, the Trump Interior Department is eyeing a new target: the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Opposition Against Selling Public Lands
The plan to sell off lands now held for public recreation, including camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing, was scuttled earlier when traditional pro-conservation conservatives joined in demanding that the proposal be dropped from Trump’s “big” bill. They pointed to the Teddy Roosevelt conservationist tradition of these lands as part of the American birthright held by the federal government as a public trust in perpetuity.
Trump’s New Approach
Thwarted in that move, the Trump Interior Department redirected its efforts toward stealing the $276.1 million now held in the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). By law, that funding must be used for acquisition of new natural/recreational/wildlife lands and public easements. The law specifically prohibits spending it on maintenance of existing parks, which is supposed to be handled from different funding sources. Regardless, “repurposing” those funds for use on deferred maintenance projects in national parks and monuments is exactly what reports indicate that Interior is drafting an order to do.
Risks to Wildlife, Recreation, and Climate
“For six decades the LWCF has turned offshore oil-and-gas royalties into trailheads, boat launches, and wildlife corridors on public lands. Diverting the money to fix bathrooms and visitor centers, critics say, would leave crucial gaps in migration routes for elk and pronghorn, curb new access for anglers and hikers, and weaken a rare bipartisan tool that channels private development pressure away from forests, coastlines, and fragile headwaters. Land that slips into private hands is often logged, paved, or fenced, erasing habitat and the carbon-soaking capacity of mature ecosystems. With outdoor recreation booming and climate extremes intensifying, the loss of future acquisitions could reverberate through local economies and public health alike,” said Environmental Health News.
In addition to the reported departmental order under preparation, the Interior Department refused to send Congress the annual list of proposed LWCF land purchases for consideration as part of the 2026 budget. That submission is delayed reportedly because the Trump Administration knows that Congress typically quickly approves such popular requests.
“It’s illegal to spend LWCF funds on maintenance and they know it. If they move forward, they will be sued and they will lose,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico).
Take Action
Plainly, the Trump Administration’s obsession with selling out our national heritage for a quick buck and the benefit of their friends in the oil, gas, and mining industries continues undiminished. Therefore, public resistance must continue as well. If this is important to you, consider supporting our work.
