It could be dark days ahead for the National Park Service if the House's budget passes/Rebecca Latson file
Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing for double-digit budget cuts for the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
While the cuts won't get past the Senate, the appropriations contained in the FY24 budget for the Interior Department could force a government shutdown on November 17 if the two chambers can't reach a compromise.
As narrowly passed by the House on Friday, 213-203, the Park Service budget would be cut 13 percent, or roughly half-a-billion dollars, according to Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee. The Fish and Wildlife Service budget is facing a 13.6 percent ($237 million) cut; the BLM a 17.5 percent ($255 million) cut; and the U.S. Forest Service an 8 percent ($255 million) cut, according to the Democrats.
The legislation also cuts Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf, sage-grouse, and lesser-prairie chicken, eliminates funding for the Presidio, and cuts the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by 39 percent.
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All this while the GOP's favored presidential nominee is planning to confiscate federally managed public lands to turn them into "Freedom Cities". The robber barons of our time just keep reaching for more.
The budget MUST be cut someplace. It would be nice to be able to afford everything on everybody's "wish list," but a little trim like this forces administrators to prioritize to real needs, and that is a GOOD thing.
Go ahead and cut parks by those numbers and see what happens. Most of the parks couldn't stay open.
You are Incorrect..
A drastic budet reduction of this magnitude would cripple the NPS, cause the shut-down of some areas and cause real damage to our Cultural and National Heritage..
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The country cannot afford the government it now has. Revenues cannot support current levels of spending. Everyone wants their favorite program exempted but it cannot ever be so.. current spending cannott be sustained. And then , there is the current debt politicians have currently committed us to.pXx
Well, something has to start the ball rolling. Throw something out there to get the attention of the lamestream media. Don't like the cuts? Then where should we make the cuts? Maybe cut the aid package to nations that hate America? Cut funding to the UN?? Too bad they could not limit the cuts to the BLM; they are getting too greedy and power-hungry and closing off public park lands for no justifiable reason.
Maybe we should put the IRS tax back up to where it was, before Trump's corporate welfare tax cut. I understand about 1.2 trillion dollars of revenue was lost as soon as it took effect. Tax the rich, and corporations like the should be and there should be plenty of budget $$.2kx83
Mike G is correct--we cannot afford everything that gov't--NPS in particular--wants to do.
For example, why did the NPS buy Stonewall? Tjhe state of NY or city could have easily maintaned it. Or take Stehekin, WA where the NPS has slowly but surely pruchased more and more private property, mostly because those private landowners have not been able to enjoy their properties because of NPS failures (refusing to replace a bridge for example)! Soon, the town-owned infrastructure in Stehekin will not be able to support the daytripper BECAUSE the NPS refuses or cannot fix or maintain that infrastructure once it owns it all because the townfolks have left. For too often and for too long, NPS has chosen to buy proeprties or accept transfers of federal property that it cannot possibly maintain let alone protect.
The NPS wants the egg and then complains about not having the funds to maintain the chickens.
ENOUGH.