$481 Million Budget Request for National Archives and Records Administration Critical for Preservation, Protection and Access to the Records of the U.S. Government
Washington, DC, March 11, 2024 – The White House today released the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes a request for $481.1 million in discretionary budget authority for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Those funds are carefully targeted to help the National Archives safeguard and provide access to the more than 13.5 billion physical pages of records it holds in trust for the nation. It will also invest in the development of the necessary technology and expertise to manage the rapidly growing born-digital records of the United States Government.
“As the nation’s record keeper, the National Archives is part of the bedrock upon which accountable governance, informed decision-making, and the preservation of our nation’s history is built. To succeed in our mission, we must evolve to meet the demands of the digital age,” said Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan. “I’m grateful that the President’s Budget supports critical investments that will help us accelerate digitization, transform digital access, and ensure that the National Archives can continue to protect, preserve, and share the nation’s history in the 21st century.”
The Budget makes important investments in the American people that will promote greater prosperity for decades to come. At the National Archives and Records Administration, the Budget will:
Provide Unprecedented Access to History. Funding for a multiyear initiative will allow for systematic digitization of collections describing the history, rights, and struggles of communities across the United States. The budget supports technology investments to expand digitization and online digital access and investments in subject matter experts to perform the work of scanning and describing records for online access. The request also includes funding to increase the speed and efficiency of responding to requests for protected Presidential records and to support declassification review of classified records.
Support U.S. Government Transition to Fully Electronic Recordkeeping. With the requirement that all federal records be created, retained, and managed in electronic formats by June 2024, the FY25 budget requests $2.9 million in new funding for management of NARA’s growing digital holdings. This funding supports 35 new staff focused on improving access to permanent electronic records.
Enhance Cybersecurity. The President’s Budget request includes $7.8 million to improve NARA cybersecurity. Funds requested would support the implementation of Zero Trust Architecture principles and multifactor authentication for NARA applications and mobile devices to ensure the security of our systems and the records we protect.
Provide Excellent Customer Service to the Nation. The Budget requests $5.2 million to improve NARA’s digital customer experience, with critical enhancements for archives.gov and the National Archives Catalog.
For more information on the President’s FY 2025 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/.
For press information, contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications staff at [email protected].