The Trump administration’s plan to slash budgets and staffing at the National Archives and Records Administration will hamper the agency’s ability to boost access to historical records and prepare for an expected surge in digital records, former Archives officials and experts said.
President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal requests $414.7 million for NARA, which is nearly $60 million less than projected 2025 funding and $93 million less than projected 2024 spending.
The budget plan calls for 136 full-time employees at NARA, down from projected staffing levels next year. The agency’s budget justification says the cuts are “based on an organizational realignment to better align with program requirements and improve program efficiency and operational resilience.”
Colleen Shogan, the former Archivist of the United States, believes NARA’s budget is too small. In February, President Donald Trump terminated Shogan without citing a reason. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently the acting archivist.