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Americans’ national parks passes will pay for Trump’s July 4 plans, documents show
Internal Park Service documents show $105 million approved for the capital region as critics say other parks are losing fee revenue.
- The Trump administration diverted at least $90 million in National Park Service entry fees to fund Washington, D.C., beautification projects, including a $1.6 million Fourth of July fireworks display and $76 million to repair city fountains, according to internal documents.
- This redirection comes as America's park system labors under a $24 billion backlog of deferred maintenance, reported the Washington Post, representing a troubling departure from how park fee revenue has traditionally been allocated.
- The administration cut Park Service staffing by around 4,000 positions, causing longer visitor lines and closed campgrounds, while specific expenditures include more than $13 million on the White House Lafayette Square Fountain and $5.7 million on the Sim Bol Memorial fountain.
- Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association said funds shouldn't be diverted to one park, while Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin defended the spending, stating, "President Trump has made Washington, D.C., Safe and Beautiful again."
- A Senate reauthorization bill proposes $11 billion over eight years, still less than half of what the Park Service alone requires, even as spending ties to preparations for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
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Trump gutted national parks staff — then raided their budget for his own renovations
The Trump administration has diverted at least $90 million in national park entry fees to fund Washington, D.C., beautification projects, including a $1.6 million Fourth of July fireworks display and $76 million to repair city fountains, according to internal National Park Service documents.The redirection of funds — more than five times the usual expenditure on the annual fireworks celebration — comes as America's park system labors under a $24…
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources7
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Left
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources lean Left
86% Left
L 86%
14%
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