The Trump administration has diverted at least $90 million in entry fees collected at national parks, including Yellowstone and Yosemite, to projects in Washington, D.C., according to National Park Service documents reviewed by the Washington Post. The funds have reportedly been earmarked for a range of projects tied to the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, including a $1.6 million fireworks display—over five times the event’s standard budget—and a $76 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and other fountains.
Advocacy groups have criticized the redistribution of funds as a misuse of federal revenue, pointing to the national park system’s $24 billion backlog of deferred maintenance and infrastructure repairs. Ed Stierli, senior director for the Mid-Atlantic region at the National Parks Conservation Association, told the Post that entry fees are intended to support sites across the country, not a single destination: “It shouldn’t just be all at one park at the expense of the entire national park system.”
Stierli also expressed concern that the administration is moving forward with construction projects in the capital with little public input or transparency, and has not demonstrated that it considered multiple bids for the work.
Katie Martin, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service, said in an emailed statement that the Trump administration is actively addressing deferred maintenance projects while exploring alternative revenue sources, including “revenue brought in from the sale of park passes” and “endowment funds.”
“While other administrations have let the city fall into decay, President Trump has made Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful again, and we should all be grateful,” Martin said, adding that the government awards contracts through legitimate procurement processes.
Among the projects advanced by the White House is a new helipad for Marine One helicopters, planned for on the South Lawn. The Post previously reported concerns that landing vehicles on the site risked catching the lawn on fire. (The White House has not disclosed how the project will be entirely funded.)
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, meanwhile, noted in a statement that thanks to the administration, “more than 20 fountains and nearly 30 statues have been restored while many ongoing projects are projected to be completed in time for the historic 250th celebrations,”
More than $13 million has been earmarked for the Lafayette Square Fountain adjacent to the White House, $5.7 million for the Simón Bolívar Memorial outside the Interior Department, and $47 million for other fountains on the National Mall.
An estimated $716,000 in park entry fees has also been redirected to the relocation and restoration of a statue of Caesar Rodney, a Founding Father and prolific enslaver, in Washington’s Freedom Plaza.
