[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNDERFUNDING NATIONAL PARKS

  (Mr. HUFFMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, from the mighty redwoods to the headlands 
and beaches of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in my bay area, 
backyard to the ancient sequoias of Yosemite, to the scorching deserts 
of Death Valley, we know our national parks are worth protecting.
  Parks not only protect nature and wildlife but our history, too. And 
they are economic engines supporting thousands of jobs. But Donald 
Trump's dirty budget and infrastructure scam would bulldoze right 
through this American success story.
  Trump is proposing a 7 percent cut to the National Park Service, 
meaning even less maintenance and visitor services, and a 17 percent 
cut to the Department of the Interior overall, while giving Secretary 
Ryan Zinke free rein to continue his drilling spree on our public 
lands.
  These cuts, combined with Trump's ongoing effort to hike entry fees 
for working families, threaten access to these places that drive 
millions of visitors to our communities and small businesses each year, 
while generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity.
  Underfunding our national parks puts visitor access at risk. We 
should reject this budget and work together.

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