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Advocacy

The National Preservation Partners Network advocates for issues that have national significance or impact. Examples include federal regulations and laws, federal policies and recommendations, Executive Orders, and court cases that directly impact or by precedent impact beyond a local level. All advocacy actions taken follow our Advocacy Policy.

National Preservation Partners Network
Statement on Recent Federal Actions Impacting Historic Preservation

March 20, 2025 – As a community of historic preservation nonprofit organizations across the U.S., the National Preservation Partners Network is deeply concerned about federal actions that have already damaged—and could easily destroy—efforts to tell America’s story through our shared cultural heritage.

The processes, tools, and services mandated by the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act have been strongly supported by every administration since its creation. Why? Historic places matter to the American people. They help define who we are as Americans. They anchor communities across the nation: rural and urban, thriving and surviving, red and blue. Everyone can find a historic place of meaning and memory, a place that connects us with our shared past and with each other. A common concern for preserving our history, and the places where that history occurred, has brought citizens and communities together and helped create the national historic preservation infrastructure we rely on today.

The National Historic Preservation Act established a comprehensive program to protect historic and archeological sites. It created the National Register of Historic Places, the Section 106 review process, the Section 110 program, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Offices, and the Historic Preservation Fund. These initiatives have served the nation well for nearly six decades

The economic and community benefits of preserving and reusing historic places are supported by irrefutable data demonstrating that modest federal investment generates strong federal and local tax revenue and creates thousands of good jobs. Using historic places to illustrate the unique impact of both everyday and exceptional Americans brings us together, educates and inspires us, and fosters civic pride in the places we all call home.

The Partners Network is concerned that unprecedented actions and positions taken by the Trump administration since January 2025 reflect a misunderstanding of what preservation is about, the benefits it provides, and the mechanisms in place to support this cost-effective public benefit. The administration’s staffing, funding, and policy changes and proposals will not save money. In fact, they will cost us dearly—financially, socially, and historically.

Despite decades of bipartisan support, the national historic preservation infrastructure is highly threatened by recent actions by the administration, including:

Drastic cuts to staffing and funding at the National Park Service—The central federal agency supporting historic preservation has suffered severe reductions in staffing and funding, undermining preservation efforts nationwide. This in turn jeopardizes historic rehabilitation projects that create jobs, provide housing, and revitalize communities. Without adequate resources, the programs mandated by Congress to facilitate historic preservation will falter, leaving critical initiatives unsupported.

Freezes and cuts to multiple sources of federal preservation funding, including the Historic Preservation Fund—these funding streams are essential for government agencies and nonprofits working to save America’s historic places. Uncertainty or reductions in these funds have already stalled or endangered vital projects across the country.

Executive Orders and policy changes curtailing efforts to preserve and share the history of underrecognized communities— Efforts to ensure that all Americans see their history reflected in our preserved heritage are critical to national unity and identity. Weakening these initiatives risks leaving important stories untold and communities unseen.

The declaration of a “National Energy Emergency” despite record-high American energy production—This action has disrupted the Section 106 review process, which is crucial for protecting historic resources, and has added delays and costs to public and private projects across the country.

The dismissal of appointed leadership at the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation—Without appointed leadership, and the ability to even act, this independent agency cannot meet its federally mandated responsibilities.

Staffing cuts at the General Services Administration—These reductions greatly hinder the agency’s ability to protect historic federal buildings that belong to the American people.

The censure and erasure of American history through the removal of language, websites, archives, and other resources that belong to the American people and tell our full story.

We do not oppose greater efficiency. Yet the seemingly haphazard approach to terminating experienced personnel, freezing or discontinuing committed preservation funding, and selling publicly treasured properties without stakeholder input, will result in a loss of historic places valued by local communities across the country.

We urge the administration and Congress to take immediate action to reinstate the funding and staffing essential for protecting our nation’s historic and cultural assets.

We also call upon them to reverse actions that have weakened the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and disrupted efforts to document and celebrate the history of underrepresented communities.

We urge all citizens who value historic preservation to contact their federal representatives and advocate for the restoration of critical programs and resources.

As we approach the commemoration of the United States’ founding 250th anniversary, it is a time to strengthen and celebrate historic preservation efforts, not weaken them. As we saw during the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, our history—and the places where one can walk up and touch that history— are critical to engaging all Americans around our shared heritage. This strengthens our nation and increases unity at a time when it is desperately needed.

Recent Advocacy Actions

  • Position statement on Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Program Comment on Certain Housing, Building, and Transportation Undertakings
  • Sign-on letters in support of, and with recommendations for, provisions in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Act
  • Support of the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act
  • Letter in support of the Amendment to the INVEST in America Act
  • Letter to the Department of the Interior regarding proposed changes to the National Register listing process
  • Letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding disposal of properties
  • Letter to Congress regarding federal coronavirus stimulus funding (CARES Act)

Advocacy Resources