Trip Report: Lobbying in D.C. During A Government Shutdown
The government may be shutdown, but we are still standing strong for public lands.
By Anneka Williams, Policy Director, 10/28/25
Last week, I spent three days in Washington D.C. as part of the Outdoor Alliance fly-in. Outdoor Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of national advocacy organizations that brings together the voices of outdoor enthusiasts from across disciplines and geographies to advocate for our public lands and waters. Winter Wildlands Alliance is a founding member of Outdoor Alliance. While in D.C., I had the opportunity to work alongside policy folks from other Outdoor Alliance coalition members to advocate for our public lands and educate lawmakers about the priorities of the outdoor community.
My visit marked the third week of the government shutdown, so D.C. was notably quieter than usual. However, many staffers, Senators, and members of Congress were still working and available for meetings, and many shared the sentiment of this being a “weird” time for U.S. politics. So, despite the shutdown, the Outdoor Alliance crew was full steam ahead in educating lawmakers about our current priorities.
Priorities on the Hill
While there was some variation depending on who we were meeting with, the major issues we discussed with lawmakers at this year’s fly-in included:
- The Roadless Rule: Last month, more than 600,000 comments were submitted on the Roadless Rule. More than 99% of these comments opposed the Trump administration’s move to repeal the rule. We shared stories with lawmakers about how loss of the national Roadless Rule would impact recreation, including backcountry skiing, and urged them to show support for keeping the roadless rule through sponsoring the Roadless Area Conservation Act and reaching out directly to the USDA.
- Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF): The LRF was first enacted in 2020 under the Great American Outdoors Act. The fund is essential in addressing the deferred maintenance backlog in national parks and on public lands, which totals more than $41 billion. Improving recreation assets benefits all of us and we shared stories with lawmakers about how the fund has supported trail maintenance and repair efforts and restoration of old infrastructure across the country.
- Agency Capacity: Over the last decade, as outdoor recreation participation has increased, staffing at land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has decreased. Agency capacity has considerably worsened in the last year due to the Trump administration’s aggressive actions to downsize federal land management agencies. Additionally, the USDA recently announced a reorganization plan that would have major impacts for the USFS. Winter Wildlands Alliance works closely with the USFS to support winter backcountry recreation, snowscapes, and winter travel planning. The USFS and other land management agencies are crucial to supporting recreation infrastructure, providing visitor services, taking on long-term planning initiatives, and managing natural environments responsibly. In D.C., we discussed the importance of having adequately staffed federal land management agencies for outdoor recreation with lawmakers and staffers.
Moving Forward
The government may be shut down, but Winter Wildlands Alliance and the broader Outdoor Alliance community are still showing up and stepping up for public lands, and our work is more important than ever these days. Keep an eye out for more action alerts from us to help you speak up for public lands and consider donating today to support our work.
