Update May 29, 2025: The Pappas-Bresnahan letter of support for the National Scenic Byways Program received 25 total signatures. It will now be submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development for consideration.

Scenic America urges advocates to contact their Representatives to sign on to this critical bipartisan letter.

Scenic America applauds Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-PA) for leading a bipartisan letter in the U.S. House of Representatives urging their colleagues to support at least $65 million in Fiscal Year 2026 funding for the National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP). The letter, addressed to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, underscores the vital role scenic byways play in driving tourism, preserving natural and cultural resources, and strengthening local economies across the country.

The National Scenic Byways Program is a community-driven initiative that recognizes and protects the nation’s most exceptional roads based on their scenic, historical, recreational, cultural, and archaeological significance. Today, more than 1,200 scenic byways and All-American Roads crisscross all 50 states, territories, tribal lands, and the District of Columbia.

However, since Congress eliminated annual funding for the program in 2012, many byway communities have struggled to access the resources they need. Scenic America successfully advocated for the program’s revitalization through the 2019 Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act and continues to push for consistent federal investment to support planning, safety improvements, tourism infrastructure, and marketing programs.

This FY26 request of $65 million reflects inflation-adjusted levels from when the program was last fully funded in 2009. Grants provided through the NSBP benefit byway communities of all sizes, from rural towns to tribal nations, enabling them to maintain and promote these treasured routes while delivering measurable economic returns. In Utah, for example, Scenic Byway 12 recently generated over $12 million in visitor spending and created more than 400 jobs. Louisiana’s byways also yielded $1.56 in return for every dollar invested in a recent study.