Senator Heinrich Criticizes Trump Administration's National Park Fee Policy

National Parks and Economic Impact

• 🏞️ The public lands recreation economy contributes over $350 million per day to the nation's economic health.
• 💼 This highlights how Americans value time outdoors and national history, with public lands supporting job growth and small businesses.
• 🌎 Parks like Glacier, White Sands, and Acadia are world-class destinations, but smaller sites are also crucial to the fabric of national history and communities.

Preservation and Education

• 📚 National parks preserve and celebrate history, honor heroes, protect wildlife, and offer outdoor classrooms for students.
• 🧘 They provide spaces for families to connect with nature and offer opportunities to escape everyday pressures.

Administration's Management Directives

• ⚠️ Recent management directives, including budget cuts and staffing reductions, pose a significant threat to national parks.
• 📉 Proposals to divest hundreds of National Park Service sites are also a concern.

Fee-Free Day Policy Shift

• 🗓️ The Trump administration ended free days at national parks on Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth.
• 🎂 Instead, Flag Day, which is President Trump's birthday, will be a fee-free day, despite not being a federal holiday.
• ✊ Senator Heinrich vows that under future administrations, MLK Day and Juneteenth will remain fee-free days and recognized as important national holidays.