The National Park Service reportedly will use money intended to improve parks to pay for the amped up Fourth of July event in Washington, a move Democrats and advocacy groups say is a misuse of public funds.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday night the National Park Service will divert $2.5 million in money from entrance fees intended for maintenance to pay for the Salute to America events on Thursday.
During the government shutdown earlier this year and amid concern national parks were being damaged by unsupervised visitors, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt authorized parks to use money from entrance and recreation fees to bring back staff and maintain basic services. The congressional watchdog the Government Accountability Office is reviewing that decision.
The Park Service collected almost $300 million in revenue from entrance and recreation fees in FY2018, according to an Interior Department memo, but those fees are meant to be used to improve the visitor experience in parks, mostly through maintenance of existing buildings and roads. At least 80 percent of the money is supposed to be used in the same park where it is collected, but the National Mall does not collect entrance fees.
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