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NRPA Responds to President Trump's FY19 Budget02-27-18 | News

NRPA Responds to President Trump's FY19 Budget
Concerns Raised Over Cuts To Conservation and Health Efforts

Proposed cuts to federal departments and programs have spurred the National Recreation and Parks Association into advocacy mode for those programs and their funding. They urge members to sign up to be a "park champion" and work with their federal elected officials.

The White House has released the budget for the 2019 fiscal year. Though it is not a finalized budget, it does set the tone for the upcoming negotiations in Congress.

The National Recreation and Parks Association has released their response to the proposed budget cuts, which they feel are to services they previously lobbied for but are threatened once again.

Specifically, they are concerned about $900 million in cuts to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention including portions of the Chronic Disease Division, which may jeopardize the entire program.

Reductions to the Department of Interior include eliminating the state assistance program of the Land and Water Conservation fund. The NRPA is worried about this proposed cut, citing a "growing backlog of deferred maintenance at all levels of parks."

Additionally, a decrease in funds to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides the Community Block Grant program, has been suggested. The program provides funds for parks, and the entire department could be eliminated under this new budget proposal.

However the recommended budget calls for $10 billion to be allocated to fight the opioid crisis. The NRPA is currently exploring ways they can best assist in those efforts.

Although the budget is not yet finalized for the fiscal year, the NRPA plans to start advocacy efforts now to help preserve the funding of these programs.

Members are encouraged to join the NRPA Park Champions program to voice their support for targeted programs to federal elected officials.

https://www.nrpa.org/our-work/advocacy/Park-Champions/