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House Republicans have proposed barring the National Park Service (NPS) from using federal funds to house migrants without legal status, part of a wider spending measure that would set new limits on how public lands can be used.
The provision is included in the fiscal 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill released this week by the House Appropriations Committee.
It comes as hardline Republicans have proposed a series of policies aimed at limiting federal resources available to migrants, both those entering the country without authorization and those seeking legal pathways.
The proposal is part of a much wider funding package that serves as Congress’s annual budget for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and dozens of related agencies overseeing public lands, conservation, and tribal programs. The bill would provide about $38.9 billion in discretionary funding, according to the committee summary.
Appropriations measures of this type typically fund the NPS, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the EPA and programs supporting Native American communities, according to congressional research.
GOP Chair Tom Cole said in a press release, “America’s public lands and natural resources are not just part of our heritage – they are strategic assets that support recreation, connect our communities, grow opportunity, and reinforce our way of life.”
Close-up of carved logo for National Park Service in San Francisco, California, on June 28, 2020.
The House Republican proposal emphasizes energy development and regulatory changes, while reducing funding in some areas. It includes a $1.8 billion cut to the EPA, about a 20 percent reduction, and seeks to expand domestic mining and energy production on federal lands, according to the committee summary.
At the same time, the bill prioritizes funding for wildfire response and tribal programs. It includes increased resources for Tribal Public Safety and Justice programs and continues support for wildland fire management, which lawmakers regularly fund to address increasingly severe fire seasons.
The measure also fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, which compensates local governments for the loss of property tax revenue from federally owned land. The program supports services such as emergency response, road maintenance, and law enforcement in rural communities, according to federal budget documents.
Like many appropriations bills, the legislation includes a range of policy provisions, sometimes referred to as riders, that limit how federal funds may be used. These include restrictions on certain environmental rules and programs, as well as the provision targeting NPS funding for migrant housing.
The debate over that issue follows a high-profile episode in New York City, where federally owned land managed by the National Park Service was used as temporary emergency housing for migrants.
In September 2023, New York City entered into a lease with the National Park Service to use about 30 acres at Floyd Bennett Field to provide shelter and services to migrants. The site housed up to roughly 2,000 asylum-seekers at its peak and operated as part of the city’s response to an increase in migrant arrivals.
The site was used to construct a temporary encampment that housed asylum-seekers during a surge in arrivals under the Biden administration. The arrangement involved rent payments and oversight provisions under a formal lease between the city and the federal government. The Floyd Bennett Field shelter has since been closed.
Republican lawmakers later launched oversight inquiries into the lease, arguing that using national park land for housing was inconsistent with the National Park Service’s mission and questioned whether such use was supported by federal law.
House Republicans have previously advanced legislation seeking to block the use of federal lands for migrant housing, including a bill passed by the House in 2023 that did not become law. The new appropriations language reflects a similar approach by restricting how federal funds can be used.
There is no single federal statute that expressly authorizes or prohibits the use of national park land as temporary migrant housing. Any such use would be governed by the applicable NPS leasing and special-use authorities, the park’s enabling laws, and other legal and administrative requirements.
NPS rules allow leases and special use permits in limited circumstances, including certain temporary residential uses, and FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program provides funds for shelter and services for noncitizen migrants who were recently encountered and released by DHS.
The legislation remains in the early stages of the budget process and must still advance through committee markups, House passage, and negotiations with the Senate before it can become law.
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The provision is included in the fiscal 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill released this week by the House Appropriations Committee.
Why It Matters
It comes as hardline Republicans have proposed a series of policies aimed at limiting federal resources available to migrants, both those entering the country without authorization and those seeking legal pathways.
What To Know
The proposal is part of a much wider funding package that serves as Congress’s annual budget for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and dozens of related agencies overseeing public lands, conservation, and tribal programs. The bill would provide about $38.9 billion in discretionary funding, according to the committee summary.
Appropriations measures of this type typically fund the NPS, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the EPA and programs supporting Native American communities, according to congressional research.
GOP Chair Tom Cole said in a press release, “America’s public lands and natural resources are not just part of our heritage – they are strategic assets that support recreation, connect our communities, grow opportunity, and reinforce our way of life.”
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Close-up of carved logo for National Park Service in San Francisco, California, on June 28, 2020.
The House Republican proposal emphasizes energy development and regulatory changes, while reducing funding in some areas. It includes a $1.8 billion cut to the EPA, about a 20 percent reduction, and seeks to expand domestic mining and energy production on federal lands, according to the committee summary.
At the same time, the bill prioritizes funding for wildfire response and tribal programs. It includes increased resources for Tribal Public Safety and Justice programs and continues support for wildland fire management, which lawmakers regularly fund to address increasingly severe fire seasons.
The measure also fully funds the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, which compensates local governments for the loss of property tax revenue from federally owned land. The program supports services such as emergency response, road maintenance, and law enforcement in rural communities, according to federal budget documents.
Like many appropriations bills, the legislation includes a range of policy provisions, sometimes referred to as riders, that limit how federal funds may be used. These include restrictions on certain environmental rules and programs, as well as the provision targeting NPS funding for migrant housing.
The debate over that issue follows a high-profile episode in New York City, where federally owned land managed by the National Park Service was used as temporary emergency housing for migrants.
In September 2023, New York City entered into a lease with the National Park Service to use about 30 acres at Floyd Bennett Field to provide shelter and services to migrants. The site housed up to roughly 2,000 asylum-seekers at its peak and operated as part of the city’s response to an increase in migrant arrivals.
The site was used to construct a temporary encampment that housed asylum-seekers during a surge in arrivals under the Biden administration. The arrangement involved rent payments and oversight provisions under a formal lease between the city and the federal government. The Floyd Bennett Field shelter has since been closed.
Republican lawmakers later launched oversight inquiries into the lease, arguing that using national park land for housing was inconsistent with the National Park Service’s mission and questioned whether such use was supported by federal law.
House Republicans have previously advanced legislation seeking to block the use of federal lands for migrant housing, including a bill passed by the House in 2023 that did not become law. The new appropriations language reflects a similar approach by restricting how federal funds can be used.
There is no single federal statute that expressly authorizes or prohibits the use of national park land as temporary migrant housing. Any such use would be governed by the applicable NPS leasing and special-use authorities, the park’s enabling laws, and other legal and administrative requirements.
NPS rules allow leases and special use permits in limited circumstances, including certain temporary residential uses, and FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program provides funds for shelter and services for noncitizen migrants who were recently encountered and released by DHS.
What Happens Next
The legislation remains in the early stages of the budget process and must still advance through committee markups, House passage, and negotiations with the Senate before it can become law.
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