Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Corruption, censorship take center stage at Freedom 250 hearing
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Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Rep. Jared Huffman during the House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing on America250, Freedom 250, and censorship of American history. Screen capture: House Natural Resources Committee ([link removed]) .
Members of Congress blasted the Trump administration for censoring American history ([link removed]) on Tuesday while demanding answers about how Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is using the National Park Service to facilitate corruption through the president's "Freedom 250" group.
The hearing in the House Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee was dominated by questions about the National Park Service's removal of signs about slavery and Indigenous Americans, as well as questions following a New York Times report ([link removed]) that Freedom 250 is offering donors access to President Donald Trump for $1 million and up.
Freedom 250 is part of the congressionally-chartered National Park Foundation. During the hearing, foundation president and CEO Jeff Reinbold said the foundation created Freedom 250 at the request of the Park Service, and that it will grant anonymity to donors who request it. Reinbold also said he would not provide Congress with any contracts signed by Freedom 250 donors.
Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon, the ranking member on the subcommittee, said Freedom 250's secrecy was a problem ([link removed]) . “Hiding the flow of money means we never get to know whether he is selling more than access to his donors,” she said.
Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, testified that park rangers are struggling with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's order to sanitize history in the parks.
"We are citizens of a nation with a fascinating, diverse and complex history," Spears said ([link removed]) . "We need the leadership of the National Park Service, unimpaired, to help us enhance our understanding of our shared experiences when it comes to American history. We want the full story."
** Quick hits
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Trump administration removes Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument; NYC to fly its own
Associated Press ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | CBS News ([link removed]) | Gothamist ([link removed]) | Guardian ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | USA Today ([link removed])
Sweeping new rules restrict all aspects of national park communications
SFGate ([link removed])
Interior dept. orders all non-English content removed from websites
Federal News Network ([link removed])
Congress highlights history purge, corruption at Freedom 250 hearing
Associated Press ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
Major corporations spend millions to back Freedom 250 propaganda
Popular Information ([link removed])
Trump to repeal endangerment finding on Thursday
E&E News ([link removed])
How the fracking boom put an oil field in the Guadalupe River floodplain
Texas Tribune ([link removed])
Opinion: Land seizure advocates are using wishful thinking
Lewiston Tribune ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Yes, we need to celebrate how far America has come, but how the hell do we know how far we’ve come if we erase the history? How is that patriotic?”
—Rep. Val Hoyle of Oregon, House Natural Resources Committee ([link removed])
** Picture This
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Taking down a flag does not erase our history. But it does remind us why we cannot rely solely on governments to tell it. The Stonewall Inn is privately owned and independently operated. We are not affiliated with the federal government and we will never lower our flag or stop protecting our history. The Stonewall National Monument was established to honor the origins of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. When symbols directly tied to that history are removed, it raises serious concerns about how our story is being stewarded. LGBTQ+ history has too often been minimized, sanitized, or erased from official narratives. That is why the Stonewall Inn continues to stand as living history, protected and carried forward by the community itself. The Pride flag at The Stonewall monument is not partisan. It is historical. We believe it should be restored. That is why our history will never be erased-and at the Stonewall Inn, all flags representing our community will always continue to fly.
@thestonewallinn ([link removed])
Taking down a flag does not erase our history. But it does remind us why we cannot rely solely on governments to tell it.
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