{"id":4013,"date":"2026-08-21T22:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4013"},"modified":"2026-08-21T22:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:04:31","slug":"national-park-maintenance-work-sidelined-as-trumps-freedom-250-takes-precedence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4013","title":{"rendered":"National park maintenance work sidelined as Trump\u2019s Freedom 250 takes precedence"},"content":{"rendered":"
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>

By MATTHEW BROWN<\/strong><\/p>\n

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) \u2014 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 \u201clow priority\u201d list.<\/p>

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Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three officials from the park service and Interior Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.<\/p>\n

The reflecting pool repairs and other projects tied to President Donald Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Katmai National Park and bulk purchases of toilet paper and garbage bags at Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n

Because of their low priority designation and with the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, it\u2019s unknown when they will move forward unless park staff can find a workaround, two of the officials said.<\/p>\n

Park service employees \u201cwere told to not expect anything on the low priority list to be contracted,\u201d one of the officials said.<\/p>

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\u201cThe first priority was White House priorities,\u201d the official said. \u201cAnywhere that is 250th-related they would have been diverting resources, some it probably planned but a lot of it pushed by the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Interior Department said many entries on the low priority list had been \u201cmis-prioritized and were corrected.\u201d It declined to say how many or which ones, or how much parks are spending on projects outside Washington. Agency officials declined to answer questions about the reflecting pool.<\/p>\n

Congress has pushed to fix maintenance backlog<\/h4>\n

The park service has a third list for \u201chigh priority\u201d projects that includes more than 2,000 items, many with contracts awarded or in process, the documents show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any year, the National Park Service must prioritize projects most in need,\u201d Interior spokesperson Katie Martin wrote in a statement. \u201cThe National Park Service has not only been focused on beautifying the district for the 250th celebrations in our nation\u2019s capital but has also been working on many deferred maintenance projects throughout the country.\u201d<\/p>

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The 1,500 low priority projects had a combined cost estimate of more than $400 million.<\/p>\n

Maine Independent Sen. Angus King, the ranking member of the Senate\u2019s National Parks Subcommittee, said the administration\u2019s pursuits around Washington \u201care more aesthetic than strictly necessary,\u201d even as they siphon resources from sites elsewhere in the U.S.<\/p>\n