VIDEO: On Senate Floor, Hirono Slams Trump’s Attacks on National Parks

Senator Hirono: "These exhibits, and others like them, reflect some of the darkest stains on our country's history. That's precisely why it's so important we continue to talk about them. It is by preserving history that we prevent ourselves from repeating the more egregious parts of our past."

~ Video of Senator Hirono's floor speech can be found here ~

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) took to the Senate floor to highlight the Trump Administration's attacks on national parks throughout the country. Since he returned to office, President Trump has been targeting national park sites, stripping land protections, gutting park staff, eliminating the entrance fee-free days for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth-while making his own birthday a fee-free day, and even attempting to remove information at national park sites that he claims are instances of "partisan ideology."

One of the exhibits removed at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge displayed information describing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, in addition to information about massacres of indigenous people and historical accounts of slavery.

"The removal of these exhibits not only strips these sites of critical context, but it erases and whitewashes the history of our country," said Senator Hirono. "These exhibits, and others like them, reflect some of the darkest stains on our country's history. That's precisely why it's so important we continue to talk about them. It is by preserving history that we prevent ourselves from repeating the more egregious parts of our past."

Senator Hirono emphasized the importance of protecting history that tells the story of the unconstitutional internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans that "destroyed their livelihoods, their businesses, and split apart families."

"Doesn't this sound familiar as this regime goes about arresting and deporting thousands of immigrants without due process, spreading fear and chaos in our communities? said Senator Hirono.

Trump has also tried to remove exhibits addressing the impacts of climate change on national parks, in an attempt to ignore climate change and prioritize his interest in the oil industry. The National Park Service has been ordered to remove its general webpage on climate change, as well as other more specific pages on other national park websites, including the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park site.

"Americans need to understand what is happening to our environment, so that we can better understand how to protect these natural resources for future generations," said Senator Hirono.

Senator Hirono concluded her speech by reiterating that national parks must not only continue their missions of conserving natural, cultural, and historical landscapes, but that they continue to accurately display context about the sites on which they exist.

"This regime-as it attempts to rewrite history all over the place, it's no surprise that they've set their sights on our national parks," said Senator Hirono. "The millions of visitors to our national parks will not get a full picture. Apparently, that is exactly as this regime intends."

The full transcript of Senator Hirono's speech is available below. Video of Senator Hirono's floor speech is available here.

M. President, it's always instructive to listen to my colleague from Maine, Angus King, and today, he quotes Cicero in saying, "if you don't know your history, you live your whole life as a child." Well, here's another cliché-ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is not bliss, and yet, that's what President Trump wants the American people to be in-in a state of ignorance.

M. President, our national parks tell the story of our country-good, bad, past, present, and future. With over 430 national park sites covering more than 85 million acres across our country, the national parks system protects the beauty of our country and preserves the history that has played out on these sites. But under the Trump regime, this past year has been a historically destructive period for our national parks.

From stripping land protections and gutting park staff, to plastering Trump's face on national park passes. Frankly, I'm just glad I have a lifetime pass that does not have his face on it. From making Trump's birthday a free entrance day, while eliminating the free entrance day for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth-Trump and Republicans have been conducting an unprecedented assault on our national parks.

What's more, they're attempting to rewrite history to their liking. Last May, the Department of the Interior advised national park sites across the country to remove content at their sites that "disparage Americans." The department claimed to have found hundreds of instances of "partisan ideology" in exhibits at national parks and ordered that they be removed. What were these exhibits that were so partisan and offensive that they were flagged-ordered for removal?

They included an exhibit at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge that displayed information describing the internment of Japanese Americans in wartime camps-concentration camps, displays describing massacres of indigenous people, displays depicting the historical accounts of slavery. Think about that, this regime views historical accounts of massacres, slavery, and internment as "partisan ideology" so dangerous it warrants removal.

The removal of these exhibits not only strips these sites of critical content, but it erases and whitewashes the history of our country. These exhibits, and others like them, reflect some of the darkest stains on our country's history. That's precisely why it's so important that we continue to talk about them, learn about them. It is by preserving history that we prevent ourselves from repeating the more egregious parts of our past. Perhaps that's why Trump is so hellbent on erasing painful parts of our nation's history.

He wants to wipe out references to the unconstitutional internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans that destroyed their livelihoods-indeed, their lives, their businesses, and split apart families. Doesn't this sound familiar as this regime goes about arresting and deporting thousands of immigrants without due process, spreading fear and chaos in our communities?

Our national parks are places where we can learn about historical events. Our parks also preserve pristine natural landscapes in every corner of our country. Many of these sites are impacted, unsurprisingly, by climate change. Protecting our parks from the impacts of climate change is not a high priority for Trump and his regime, as he focuses on 'drill baby drill.' In fact, his regime is erasing exhibits addressing the impacts of climate change on our parks.

Information about climate change helps national park visitors to fully understand the environment that surrounds them. The National Park Service has been ordered to remove a general Climate Change webpage, as well as specific pages on other national park websites, including those for the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park site. Talk about sticking your head in the sand. For Hawaii, our unique geography means it is profoundly impacted by climate change, from shoreline erosion to rising ocean temperatures, and so much more.

Americans need to understand what is happening to our environment, so that we can better understand how to protect these natural resources for future generations. It is critical that our parks continue not only their missions of conserving natural, cultural, and historic landscapes, but that they accurately display important context about the sites on which they exist.

As this regime-and why do I keep referring to "this regime?" It's because regimes are authoritarian. Authoritarian regimes tell parks, 'hey, do not tell the American people the full history of this site.' That's what regimes do-that's why I continue to call this a regime. Anyway, this regime-as it attempts to rewrite history all over the place, it's no surprise that they've set their sights on our national parks. The millions of visitors to our national parks will not get a full picture. Apparently, that is exactly as this regime intends. M. President, we deserve better.

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