Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which is now the law of the land cuts 1.2 billion dollars from the National Park Service’s budget. It will undercut the ability of the agency to carry out its mission and will likely lead to even more layoffs. We should be prepared for the fact that by the end of Trump’s first term, the NPS will cease to exist as a viable agency.
Let’s be clear. These cuts have nothing to do with budgets and spending. It was an ideological choice. It constitutes a clear statement that the federal government will no longer take the responsibility to protect our natural resources and our most important historical sites. They are disposable
This isn’t hyperbole.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association:
Since the Trump administration took office, the National Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent staff, a staggering reduction that has left parks across the country scrambling to operate with bare-bones crews. The park staff who remain are being asked to do more with less, and it’s simply not sustainable.
Additionally, seasonal hiring is lagging far behind the nearly 8,000 positions pledged by the administration, with only roughly 4,500 seasonal positions filled so far. This has left parks severely understaffed during peak visitation, putting visitor centers, trail maintenance and public safety at risk when help is needed most.
Here in Boston, the NPS has lost its Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Director of Science and Stewardship Partnerships, Supervisory Interpretive Park Ranger, Museum Curator and their lone administrative assistant. This during the 250th celebration of the founding of the United States. I seem to remember Boston having something to do with this.
This was the state of the NPS even before the budget bill was passed.
Earlier this week the president issued another Executive Order titled, “Making America Beautiful Again By Improving Our National Parks.” It outlines how the federal government will attempt to make up for the funds cut from the NPS’s budget.
The Secretary of the Interior shall develop a strategy to increase revenue and improve the recreational experience at national parks by appropriately increasing entrance fees and recreation pass fees for nonresidents in areas of the National Park System that charge entrance fees or recreation pass fees as defined in 16 U.S.C. 6801. Additionally, to the extent consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of the Interior, working with the Secretary of Agriculture as appropriate, shall take steps to increase the prices at which the America the Beautiful Pass — the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass — and any site-specific agency or regional multi-entity passes are sold to nonresidents.
That’s right, foreign visitors will pick up the tab. This is so absurd that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The Trump administration has plenty of activities planned to commemorate America’s 250th next July. According to The Washington Post, including a:
UFC fight on the grounds of the White House that will be overseen by Dana White, the chief executive of UFC and a longtime Trump supporter.
‘We have a lot of land there,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to have a UFC fight — championship fight, full fight, like 20,000, 25,000 people. ... The UFC fight is going to be a big deal.’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed he was serious about the proposal.
Trump also said that he would host nationally televised athletic competitions showcasing high school students from each state in an event he’s calling the ‘Patriot Games.’ That effort, he said, will be overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (‘He’s great,’ Trump said. ‘And he’s a little different, right?’)
In addition:
[T]he America 250 Commission will host a two-week fair on the National Mall next year around July 4, including food vendors and exhibits from all 50 states, according the White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private plans. The ‘Great American State Fair’ will also travel around the country to state and county fairs over the next year.
Trump has said he wants the fair to ‘promote pride in American history,’ and expanded on plans in his speech.
‘The Great American State Fair will bring America 250 programing to fairgrounds across the country, culminating in a giant patriotic festival next summer on the National Mall, featuring exhibits from all 50 states,’ he said.
And here we are. None of this was an accident. The Trump administration understood that it would need to undercut the integrity of the NPS and other agencies, responsible for supporting the study of history, in order to leverage the past to reinforce and justify its policies and hold on power.
They likely assumed that there would be very little push back and they were right.
