NARA's Budget

NARA's Operating Expenses fund core operations, including Legislative, Presidential, and Museum Services; Citizen Services; Agency and Related Services; Facility Operations; and the Electronic Records Initiative. The repair and restoration of buildings and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission grants program are funded separately, and the Federal Records Centers operate on cost-recovery basis.

The Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Proposal seeks to shrink funding for Operating Expenses by more than 10 percent. These cuts will severely limit NARA operations across the board, and will impact electronic records especially hard. The budget proposal cuts the Electronic Records Initiative (ERI) by 33 percent, and does not mention funding for Electronic Records Archives (ERA). If the 2026 Budget Proposal passes Congress as is, funding for electronic records at NARA will receive 56 percent less than in 2007. This will diminish proper collection of electronic records; imperil storage and processing; and lead to record loss.

NARA needs more funding, not less, so that the agency can address critical challenges; enhance agency record-keeping oversight; improve technological capabilities; and accelerate mass digitization efforts. More funding will ensure that NARA continues to fulfill its legal obligations to preserve and care for the records of the US government into the future.