The New York Times reports all that gold leaf and marble that President Donald Trump is laying down in Washington, D.C., has to be paid for with something, and apparently that money is coming from the rest of the nation’s parks and public spaces.
“President Trump’s administration has thrown the 433 sites managed by the National Park Service into turmoil, shifting funding and workers to pet projects in Washington, slashing staff across the country and scrubbing exhibits that it says “inappropriately disparage Americans,” reports the Times.
Early last year, the Trump administration began gouging out the Park Service work force, leaving at least 20 percent of parks significantly understaffed, according to the Times. And earlier this year, the administration funneled at least $67 million generated by entrance fees from parks to help fund projects in Washington favored by Trump, like his botched Reflecting Pool repairs.
“As a result, hundreds of repairs and upgrades around the country may go unfunded this year, according to government documents,” said The New York Times. “Then there is the contentious proposal to trade away a small parcel of land in Yosemite National Park, a crown jewel of the park system, to a private developer. A bipartisan group of 153 lawmakers pledged this week to block the land exchange, declaring that ‘public lands belong in public hands.’”
“Any one of these changes could be catastrophic in its own right, especially as it relates to staffing and funding,” said Dan Wenk, a retired as superintendent of Yellowstone National Park after. “When the next administration comes, Republican or Democrat, funding may be restored, but it’s going to be incredibly difficult to rebuild.”
The Times also spoke to Republican Fran P. Mainella, who led the Park Service under President George W. Bush. Mainella said Trump may not understand the value of parks to the public and the economy.
“We have to find a better way to tell that story to him, so he understands that these parks are here for current and future generations, and part of his responsibility is to make sure they stay that way,” said Mainella.
The Times reports that “it is unclear if Mr. Trump has ever visited a national park, either while in office or as a private citizen; his forays outdoors typically involve a golf course.”
And White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers refused to say if Trump had been to a park, saying only that Trump “loves our national parks and is personally invested in making them great.”
Meanwhile, the administration awarded a no-bid contract to cover four statues near the National Mall in 23.75-karat gold leaf before the country’s 250th birthday, according to the Times. It also repaired nine ornamental fountains in Washington that had been dry for years. But these cosmetic fixes “siphoned money from urgent upgrades elsewhere.”
“While the administration added Washington sites to a list of White House priorities, it relegated about 1,500 other projects at more than 200 sites nationwide to a separate list labeled ‘low priority,’ according to government documents,” said The Times.