Trump to raise national park fees for foreign visitors
The additional revenue generated by higher fees from foreign tourists will raise hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation and deferred maintenance projects to improve national parks, the White House said in a statement.
The executive order directs the Interior Department, parent agency of the Park Service, to increase entrance fees paid by park visitors from abroad, but does not say by how much or when the new rates would go into effect.
It was also unclear how many of the agency's 433 park units would be affected. Only about 100 sites managed by the Park Service currently charge for admission and fees vary.
The order also directs the Park Service to ensure that US residents receive priority access over foreign visitors in any of its permitting or reservation systems.
Currently, US citizens in effect pay more than foreign tourists to visit the nation's scenic natural wonders and historic landmarks because their admission fees as well as a portion of their US tax dollars support the cost of national parks, the statement said.
'Charging higher entrance fees to foreign tourists is a common policy at national parks throughout the world,' the statement added.
The executive order comes as the Trump administration has proposed cutting more than $1 billion from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, which would represent a reduction of more than a third of the agency's budget from the prior year.
The administration's cuts to the federal workforce have already aggravated a staff shortage in national parks across the country.
Permanent staffing at the Park Service since Trump took office in January has dropped 24 percent, while just 4,500 of the 8,000 seasonal workers his administration pledged for this summer have been hired, according to an analysis on Wednesday from the National Parks Conservation Association, a watchdog-advocacy group.
Reduced personnel levels at some national parks, including Yosemite in California and Big Bend in Texas, have forced closures, reduced programming and impeded emergency response operations, the NCPA said.
Visitors have continued to flock to national parks in record numbers in recent years, with admissions soaring to a new high of 331 million last year, up 6 million from 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal. He said the United States 'pretty much' has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app. 'I think we're gonna start Monday or Tuesday… talking to China, perhaps President Xi or one of his representatives, but we pretty much have a deal,' Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Last month, Trump extended to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of TikTok. A deal had been in the works this spring to spin off TikTok's US operations into a new US-based firm, majority-owned and operated by US investors, but it was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump's announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump said the United States will probably have to get a deal approved by China. When asked how confident he was that China would agree to a deal, he said, 'I'm not confident, but I think so. President Xi and I have a great relationship, and I think it's good for them. I think the deal is good for China and it's good for us.'
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Trump says Putin understands US sanctions may be coming
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has discussed sanctions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is worried about them and understands they might be forthcoming. Trump, who spoke on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had discussed the possibility of sending Patriot air defense missiles to Kyiv. Trump spoke with Zelensky a day Russia stepped up its attack on Ukraine, sending waves of drones and missiles on Kyiv overnight in what Ukrainian officials described as the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion began more than three years ago. One person was killed and at least 26 others, including a child, were wounded. Asked Friday night by reporters about the call, Trump said, 'We had a very good call, I think.' The two leaders how Ukrainian air defenses might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksy. When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Trump said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. 'I'm very disappointed' The attack on Kyiv began the same day a phone call took place between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Asked if he made any progress during his call with Putin on a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, Trump said: 'No, I didn't make any progress with him today at all.' 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin because I don't think he's there. I don't think he's looking to stop (the fighting), and that's too bad,' Trump said. According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the 'root causes' of the conflict. 'Russia will not back down from these goals,' Ushakov told reporters after the call. Russia's army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO. Zelensky has repeatedly called out Russian disinformation efforts. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Less than a week ago, Russia launched what was then the largest aerial assault of the war. That strategy has coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine during the night, the country's air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, but Russia also launched 11 missiles in the attack. Alya Shahlai, a 23-year-old Kyiv wedding photographer, said that her home was destroyed in the attack. 'We were all in the (basement) shelter because it was so loud, staying home would have been suicidal,' she told The Associated Press. 'We went down 10 minutes before and then there was a loud explosion and the lights went out in the shelter, people were panicking.' Five ambulances were damaged while responding to calls, officials said, and emergency services removed more than 300 tons of rubble. Trump, Zelensky talks In Friday's call, Zelensky said he congratulated Trump and the American people on Independence Day and thanked the United States for its continued support. They discussed a possible future meeting between their teams to explore ways of enhancing Ukraine's protection against air attacks, Zelensky said. He added that they talked in detail about defense industry capabilities and direct joint projects with the US, particularly in drone technology. They also exchanged views on mutual procurement, investment, and diplomatic cooperation with international partners, Zelensky said. Peace efforts have been fruitless so far. Recent direct peace talks have led only to sporadic exchanges of prisoners of war, wounded troops and the bodies of fallen soldiers. No date has been set for further negotiations. Ukrainian officials and the Russian Defense Ministry said another prisoner swap took place Friday, though neither side said how many soldiers were involved. Zelensky said most of the Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since 2022. The Ukrainian soldiers were classified as 'wounded and seriously ill.' Constant buzzing of drones The Ukrainian response needs to be speedy as Russia escalates its aerial attacks. Russia launched 5,438 drones at Ukraine in June, a new monthly record, according to official data collated by The Associated Press. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said earlier this week that Russia also launched more than 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, at Ukrainian towns and cities that month. Throughout the night, AP journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault. 'Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media platform X. 'One of the worst so far.' Ukraine's Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described 'families running into metro stations, basements, underground parking garages, mass destruction in the heart of our capital.' 'What Kyiv endured last night, cannot be called anything but a deliberate act of terror,' she wrote on X. Kyiv was the primary target of the countrywide attack. At least 14 people were hospitalized, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Zelensky called the Kyiv attack 'cynical.' In Moscow, the Defense Ministry claimed its forces targeted factories producing drones and other military equipment in Kyiv. Russia strikes 5 Ukrainian regions Ukrainian air defenses shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed. Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones. Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites. In addition to the capital, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions also sustained damage, Zelensky said. Emergency services reported damage in at least five of Kyiv's 10 districts.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump says likely to start informing countries of US tariffs Friday
President Donald Trump said he plans to start sending letters informing trading partners of their tariff rates as soon as Friday, as negotiations to avoid higher US levies enter the final stretch. 'My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariff they're going to be paying,' he told reporters on Thursday. 'It's just much easier.' He added: 'We're going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow.' His comments come days before steeper duties are set to take effect on dozens of economies — customized to each of them — ranging from Taiwan to the European Union. These tariffs were part of a broader announcement in April where Trump imposed a 10 percent duty on goods from almost all trading partners, with a plan to step up these rates for a select group within days. But he swiftly paused the hikes until July 9, allowing for trade talks to take place. Countries have been pushing to strike deals that would help them avoid these elevated duties. US officials have signaled that there could be a flurry of trade pacts announced in the coming days. But so far, the Trump administration has only unveiled deals with the UK and Vietnam, while Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower staggeringly high levies on each other's products. As his July deadline approaches, Trump has repeatedly said he plans to inform countries of US tariff rates by sending them letters.
