Thanks to your support, LWCF reauthorization has passed Congress, and earlier today President Trump signed the bill to permanently authorize this critical program. Here's a breakdown of what this means for us going forward:

The Story

President Trump signs bill to permanently authorize LWCF.

Time to Celebrate?
Yes! NRPA members have been fighting for years to get this done. It’s important to celebrate a win like this, but we should also keep in mind that this is just an authorization for the program (think of it as getting a driver’s license — you still need to get the car and pay for gas, which would be the appropriation). We will still need to work to make sure that when Congress makes spending decisions, they stick to the agreement the President signed today and that they fully fund the program. President Trump’s FY2020 budget request is asking Congress to make deep cuts to the program, and we will need your help in the future to ensure these cuts aren’t enacted into law. But for today, let’s celebrate this win!

Should we be worried? 

President Trump has proposed slashing LWCF in previous budgets, but due to broad bipartisan support for LWCF, his cuts haven’t been enacted into law. In other words, we will need your help reminding Congress about how important LWCF is in order to ensure that it’s funded, but don’t lose any sleep over these proposed cuts just yet.

What do we need to do now? 

Pat yourself on the back, thank your Member of Congress for their help in passage with a Tweet or site visit, or you can simply thank them below! Don’t give up on this fight — this isn’t the end. We just got our permanent driver’s license, but we still need to buy the car.