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National Parks Fee Increase Is an Attack on Public Services

Denali National Park. Photo Credit: Jacob W. Frank / Getty
National Parks Fee Increase Is an Attack on Public Services
By Pablo Ros ·
Tags: Momentum Environment

The Trump administration’s plan to double or nearly triple admissions prices at some of the country’s most popular national parks is yet another attack on working families and their public services.

The reason for the proposal to dramatically raise fees during peak months is allegedly to help the National Park Service address an $11 billion repair-and-maintenance backlog.

But the fee increases would disproportionately affect middle- and lower-income families for whom paying $70 instead of $30 per vehicle is not an insignificant change. Of course, there are alternatives: instead of fee hikes, Congress and the president could increase the Interior Department’s budget.

These Parks are Ours

These fee increases are being proposed as congressional leaders and the president slash the budgets of federal agencies to give huge tax cuts to their corporate sponsors and super-rich buddies.

Which is why the new fees are not really about repairs and maintenance. They are just another way congressional leaders and the president are expressing their disdain for working families and the public services that sustain their quality of life.

The good news is the higher fees won’t take effect until next year – and not if the public overwhelmingly says no. You have until Dec. 22 to tell the Trump administration to stop raising the fees. Click here to submit your comment.

Act Now

Tell AFSCME how you feel about the national-park fee increase. Make your voice heard. And let us keep you informed about the fight to preserve access to our beloved natural treasures.

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