An environmental group has sued to block the Interior Department from putting Donald Trump’s face on next year’s national parks pass, arguing the move breaks a federal law that typically places a nature photo on the card. The case spotlights how even park access has become a political flashpoint as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit on December 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C., seeking to stop the government from issuing a 2026 America the Beautiful annual pass featuring side-by-side portraits of George Washington and Trump. The group says the design violates a 2004 statute requiring the $80 pass to display the winning image from an annual public-lands photo contest — this year a Glacier National Park scene — rather than a politician’s portrait. The Interior Department did not immediately comment.
Officials unveiled the redesign as part of a broader overhaul of park access rules. The Glacier photo was moved to a new, higher-priced option for non‑U.S. visitors, and a $250 annual “nonresident” pass will debut alongside the standard $80 version for residents. The administration also reshuffled fee‑free days, adding June 14 (Flag Day, which is also Trump’s birthday) while eliminating free entry on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. Critics say the changes politicize a unifying symbol; supporters frame them as making parks more affordable for Americans.
The complaint cites the 2004 federal law requiring a contest winner on the main annual pass and contends the government lacked authority to substitute a portrait or to create new resident and nonresident pass categories not listed in the statute. It also claims aesthetic harm to passholders and participants in the photo contest, who expected the Glacier image to appear on the flagship card.
The White House dismissed the case as frivolous, saying opponents should applaud efforts to expand access. The suit asks the court to halt distribution of the Trump design before the 2026 passes go on sale. A hearing date had not been announced as of December 16, 2025. However the court rules, the dispute underscores a wider battle over how the nation showcases — and who it centers — on its public lands during a milestone year.