Environmental advocates sued the Interior Department on Wednesday, alleging the Trump administration broke federal law by putting President Donald Trump's portrait alongside former President George Washington's on the redesigned 2026 America the Beautiful national park pass.
The Center for Biological Diversity on Wednesday filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to prevent Trump's face from appearing on the upcoming park pass, asserting that the new design violates the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 and statutory requirements for image selection.
Under federal law, the pass, which provides entrance and standard amenity access at more than 2,000 national parks and federal recreation sites, is to feature an image selected through an annual public photography contest managed by the National Park Foundation.
The Glacier National Park landscape photo won that contest for the 2026 pass, but the administration shifted the image to a newly created "nonresident" pass while placing portraits of Trump and Washington on the standard annual resident pass, the lawsuit alleges.
"Blotting out the majesty of America's national parks with a closeup of his own face is Trump's crassest, most ego-driven action yet," Center for Biological Diversity Executive Director Kieran Suckling said in a statement, criticizing what he described as the politicization of public lands.
"The national parks are treasured by Americans of every stripe."
"The national parks are not a personal branding opportunity," Suckling said. "They're the pride and joy of the American people."
The complaint argues that substituting Trump's image, a photograph "not taken on federal land and not entered in the public contest," and creating separate resident and nonresident pass categories are explicitly prohibited by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.
There is no record of any U.S. president's portrait appearing on the America the Beautiful pass before this 2026 redesign.
Interior Department officials have defended the changes to the parks pass program, portraying them as part of a modernization and "America first" effort by the Trump administration.
In November, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said updated digital pass formats, expanded motorcycle access, and America-first pricing reflect Trump's effort to enhance access and affordability for American families.
"President Trump's leadership always puts American families first," Burgum said in a statement.
"These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations."
The agency has introduced higher fees for nonresident visitors, a $250 annual pass for foreign tourists compared with $80 for U.S. residents, and an additional $100 surcharge for nonresidents at 11 major parks beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
In response to the lawsuit, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement: "Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits, this leftist group should be thanking President Trump for enhancing opportunities for Americans to enjoy our beautiful national parks."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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