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A new poll from the National Parks Conservation Association released Wednesday reveals that a bipartisan majority of Americans reject recent and proposed cuts to national parks.
An overwhelming 69 percent of Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s proposed $1 billion cut to the National Park Service’s budget, and 62 percent oppose the Trump administration’s plan to cut more National Park Service staff. In contrast, just 16 percent say they support the Trump administration’s continued staffing cuts to the National Park Service, and 12 percent back the proposed massive budget reduction for the agency.
“Protecting our national parks is a bipartisan issue,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association. “Across party lines, Americans reject the senseless cuts to budgets and park staff that have left national parks teetering on the brink.”
The poll also found that nearly 60 percent of Americans oppose opening lands in or adjacent to national parks for mining and drilling, and 77 percent, regardless of political affiliation, support the ability of presidents to designate national monuments via the Antiquities Act. The strong support for protecting public lands shows a clear disconnect between the American public and the Trump administration's goals for public lands.
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