Interior Secretary Must Testify to Congress About Whitewashed History at National Parks, Sale of Access to Trump
WASHINGTON — At a combative hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Natural Resources, lawmakers raised important questions about Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s efforts to sanitize and censor the truth about U.S. history. The hearing raised important questions about fundraising practices and the potential influence of foreign and anonymous donors to the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Freedom 250, a Trump-endorsed effort whose finances are managed by the National Park Foundation, has been offering up access to Trump for a $1 million donation and allowing donors to make a speech at the national July 4 celebration for $2.5 million. The “Freedom 250” effort appears designed to supplant the official bipartisan “America 250” celebration, with the complex history of Black, Indigenous, Asian American, and religious minorities in America ignored in the official Trump-approved narrative.
In response, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s hijacking of the 250th anniversary celebration in favor of a rewritten, glossy version of U.S. history raises ugly questions about what Americans value as we approach the 250th celebration of our independence. Trump’s effort to make “greatness” synonymous with the erasure of mentions of slavery, the massacre of tribes, the persecution of Japanese Americans, or any other story outside of a whitewashed view of our nation’s story, is terrifying.
“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum must testify in person to lawmakers about why he is distorting America’s 250th anniversary to cover up vital but painful truths about our past and tell a complete story about the country’s history.
“As Trump works to undermine a shared understanding of our nation’s story, he is working to find ways to use the nation’s 250th birthday to sell access and influence to corporate donors, which may lead to foreign donations. Congress must immediately shut off all transfers of taxpayer money to the National Park Federation’s “Freedom 250” fund,investigate efforts to sell access to the President of the United States, and install guardrails, including limitations on anonymous donations which may lead to foreign gifts to the 250th anniversary celebration.”
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