National park maintenance work sidelined as Trump's Freedom 250 takes precedence

The 250th anniversary of U.S. independence was just months away when National Park Service employees received a surprising directive from Washington: Maintenance projects approved for this year at sites across the nation were being relegated to a new “low priority” list. Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to documents obtained by The and three officials from the park service and Interior Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The reflecting pool repairs and other projects tied to President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 initiative landed on a separate list for White House priorities, the documents show.

Many of the administration-backed projects have advanced, though the reflecting pool repairs were botched. Meanwhile, almost all of about 1,500 maintenance and other projects on the low priority list as of last month are expected to go undone, the officials said. That will worsen a repair backlog at national parks that doubled over the last decade to more than $24 billion even as visitor numbers surged.

The shelved projects, many already approved, span more than 200 sites and range from roof repairs at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, to computer upgrades at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and bulk purchases of toilet paper and garbage bags at Yellowstone National Park. Because of their low priority designation and with the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, it's unknown when they will move forward unless park staff can find a workaround, two of the officials said. Park service employees “were told to not expect anything on the low priority list to be contracted,” one of the officials said.

Agency officials declined to answer questions about the reflecting pool. Congress has pushed to fix maintenance backlog The park service has a third list for “high priority" projects that includes more than 2,000 items, many with contracts awarded or in process, the documents show. Angus King, the ranking member of the Senate's National Parks Subcommittee, said the administration’s pursuits around Washington “are more aesthetic than strictly necessary,” even as they siphon resources from sites elsewhere in the U.S.

Congress during both Democratic and Republican presidencies has pushed to address the backlog. The bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act in 2020 included $6.5 billion for maintenance and repairs through 2025. A legislative extension is pending.

The priority designations came from park service headquarters in Washington, according to documents obtained by AP and one of the unnamed officials. The park service appears to be moving forward on at least $80 million in White House priorities, including $52 million awarded, the documents indicate. Much of that work was championed by Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, such as the reflecting pool repairs and the rehabilitation of other parks in the capital with an eye toward the 250th celebrations.