Lawmakers stunned by national park shutdown funding reversal
Source: The Hill
Lawmakers stunned by national park shutdown funding reversal
BY MIRANDA GREEN - 02/10/19 01:17 PM EST
Lawmakers and conservationists are dealing with whiplash after a stunning decision by the Trump administration this week to reverse course and retroactively use congressionally appropriated funds for maintenance costs incurred during the government shutdown.
Experts and politicians say they have grave concerns and even more questions about the new decision. The shift overwrites the controversial decision made in early January for the National Park Service (NPS) to pull from park entrance fee revenue to cover shutdown costs.
Lawmakers told The Hill they plan to investigate both the original decision and its reversal.
“It’s amazing, we squandered assets through the shutdown for nothing,” said Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the House Natural Resources committee, which oversees the Interior Department.
“This is a very bad precedent to give an administration such latitude that they are able to use predesignated funds and set them somewhere else without a challenge, so we intend to challenge that.”
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Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/429327-lawmakers-stunned-by-national-park-shutdown-funding-reversal
