Senator Calls Out Congress in Oversight Report on National Park Service

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report entitled, “PARKED! How Congress’ Misplaced Priorities are Trashing Our National Treasures.” The report documents how members of Congress have used the Park Service to advance parochial interests while ignoring billions in maintenance backlog at our nation’s most prized national parks, and outlines areas of low-priority and wasteful spending by the Park Service. “Instead of proposing new national parks on the moon, Congress should be focused on restoring our decaying national treasures right here on earth. Long before the government shutdown and sequestration, our parks had become a physical manifestation of Congress’ dysfunction,” Coburn said. Read more in the Outdoor Wire.