‘An Affront to Park Lovers’: Senate Narrowly Passes Contentious Reconciliation Bill, Setting Up Fight in House

President Trump won a major victory on Tuesday as his so-called “big, beautiful bill” squeaked through the Senate on Tuesday with a 50-50 vote broken by Vice President JD Vance.

Senators voted for the enormous tax-and-spending bill along party lines after more than 24 hours of debate. Democrats oppose the legislation for its cuts to social services and tax cuts for the wealthy. However, several Republican senators also questioned the bill’s cost, which will raise the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

That’s nearly $1 trillion more than a similar estimate for the House version of Trump’s bill.

In either case, the bill would add trillions to the national deficit. Reducing that deficit was a major campaign promise of President Trump, who has used it to justify massive government layoffs over the last few months. Trump’s administration has said those cost-cutting measures will save the government $160 billion, but independent analysis suggests otherwise.

For the outdoor recreation industry, the bill’s passage through the Senate sets up yet another fight over public land access. Both the Senate and House versions of Trump’s bill call for massive cuts to the National Park Service, expansions of offshore oil and gas drilling, and increased logging, among many other issues that concern the outdoor industry.

One Victory, But the Fight Continues

Leaders throughout the outdoor recreation industry have been clear about one thing this week: concerned Americans have made a difference.

Congressional Republicans tried repeatedly in recent weeks to push through a sell-off of public lands. When a House committee proposed selling off a half-million acres of wilderness areas in Nevada and Utah, a chorus of opposition from supporters of outdoor access and preservation helped shut it down.

Then, Utah Sen. Mike Lee initially called for an even bigger sell-off (3 million acres), but removed the provision during Senate negotiations this week.

That was a “huge win” made possible by outdoor groups and thousands of petitions from concerned Americans, said a spokesperson for Outdoor Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy organization. However, it’s still only one battle of many to come, according to public land advocates and conservation groups.

If passed, the Senate’s version of Trump’s bill would further reduce staffing at national parks, cutting funding by another $267 million, according to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). That’s on top of the massive cuts to the park service Trump already pushed through this spring.

“Congress is failing to do its job yet again,” said Daniel Hart, director of clean energy and climate policy for the NPCA. “At a time when our national parks are facing record visitation and historic staffing shortages, lawmakers are making a choice to cut funding. This bill is an affront to park lovers near and far.”

In addition, the Senate’s version of the reconciliation bill mandates more leasing and drilling on public lands near places like Dinosaur National Monument. That’s a handout to the oil and gas industry, public land advocates said, and without any guardrails for impacts to recreation access or environmental damages.

To join the fight to uphold public lands protections, you can sign the Outdoor Alliance’s petition to the House of Representatives.