President Trump ordered the Department of the Interior to look at raising revenue at national parks by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists.
Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to develop a “strategy” to boost revenue and improve recreational experiences at national parks around the country by hiking entrance fees and recreation pass fees for foreign tourists.
The White House said that by raising prices, national parks will become more affordable for American families. The order does not specify how much the prices would go up or when they would be implemented.
The administration argued that additional revenue will “fuel investment in our national parks, reduce the maintenance backlog, construct critical infrastructure improvements and support conservation projects that improve our majestic national parks.”
The White House said that increasing fees for foreigners visiting the parks will “ensure fairness.”
“American citizens fund national parks and public lands with their tax dollars, yet they are currently charged the same rate as foreign visitors who do not pay taxes, meaning that American citizens pay more to see their own national treasures than foreign visitors do,” the White House said in the fact sheet.
The executive order comes as the administration has proposed a 30 percent cut to National Park Service staffing budgets and service operations. The proposed reductions have troubled some Republicans in Congress.
“We want to have some discussions on it and exactly how it’s going to affect the park service and exactly what units the states are going to take over management. … We need more information,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) told The Hill in early June.
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