National Parks Service to divert $2.5 million for Trump’s parade

The National Parks Service will divert $2.5 million — intended to pay for park maintenance — to help fund President Trump’s “Salute to America” Independence Day parade, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

“The Department of the Interior is committed to providing the American people a fantastic celebration of our nation’s birthday,” NPS spokesman Jeremy Barnum said in a statement. “We are doing so consistent with the Department’s mission and historical practices. We hope everyone enjoys the Fourth.”

But not everyone is on board. ABC News reported on the controversy.

Some members of Congress have already blasted the decision, specifically the fact that lawmakers with oversight of the Interior Department and National Park Service budget were not told about the decision. Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee that handles Interior’s budget, said fees are not “a slush fund for this administration to use at will,” ABC News reported.

National Parks Conservation Association CEO Theresa Pierno said in a statement, “2.5 million dollars might not seem like a lot to this administration, but to a national park it’s everything. Fee dollars are meant to protect our parks irreplaceable resources and enhance visitors’ experiences, not fund a Presidential stunt.”

“The Park Service is already operating on a shoestring budget, and park staff have come to heavily rely on visitor fee dollars to fund law enforcement personnel, create educational programs for visitors, and address the nearly $12 billion in needed repairs for crumbling park buildings, trails and roads,” Pierno explained.

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