After the late 1980s defense cuts, "Ranger" did not undergo the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modernization process as did her three sisters and the later "Kitty Hawk"-class ships, and by the early 1990s, her material condition was declining. Both the outgoing Bush and incoming Clinton administrations recommended cuts to the defense budget, so the retirement of "Ranger", along with her sisters "Forrestal" and "Saratoga", was put forth. "Ranger" was decommissioned on 10 July 1993 after 36 years of service, and was at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington. This decommissioning came instead of a refit scheduled for the same year. Such an extension would have extended "Ranger"s life into 2002, requiring a reauthorization in 1994. In September 2010, the not-for-profit USS "Ranger" Foundation submitted an application to Naval Sea Systems Command proposing the donation of "Ranger" for use as a museum ship and multipurpose facility, to be located on the Columbia River at Chinook Landing Marine Park in Fairview, Oregon. However, in September 2012, NAVSEA rejected the foundation's proposal, and redesignated the ship for scrapping. Preparations for disposal "Ranger" were completed 29 May 2014.