ICYMI: Senate Democrats Sound Off on Trump Administration Erasing History on Public Lands

Link to floor speeches here

Link to Heinrich's speech here

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led his colleagues on the Senate floor, criticizing the Trump administration for its efforts to erase history on America's national parks. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Ranking Member of the U.S. Energy Subcommittee on National Parks, and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined Heinrich in delivering remarks on the Senate floor.

"When we erase information about who we are... when we silence people's stories... we promote a narrative that ignores and manipulates what truly happened," said Heinrich. "Right now, President Trump is dumbing down our history. He is cheapening our National Parks. But he will not take our history from us. We will tell these stories again and again, and again. As long as it takes, and long after HE is relegated to the history books."

"This year, we celebrate 250 years of the United States of America. That history is complicated. Some of it is marked by extraordinary achievements. Some of it is marred by significant failings. And no one person has the right to erase any of it," said Merkley. "It is the responsibility of every generation of Americans to protect our national treasures and pass down the story of our hard-fought freedoms. Let's start by protecting our National Parks."

"The United States has a fantastic history - it's an extraordinary history of triumphs, and of achievements, but we also have dark periods of our history. I would argue one of our great triumphs is overcoming those dark periods in our history," said King. "The American people can handle the truth; they can understand what happened; they can understand why it was evil, and the struggles that took place in order to overcome the dark portions of our history. Whitewashing our history is lying about our history, and it's underestimating the American people. They need to understand, we all need to understand from whence we came as we proceed towards a more perfect union."

"From stripping land protections and gutting park staff, to ordering the removal of exhibits about climate change and darker parts of our nation's history, Trump and his regime are relentlessly attacking our national parks," said Hirono. "Americans need to understand our history and what is happening to our environment, and visitors to our national parks deserve to see the full picture. As this regime continues to try to whitewash history and erase science, I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure that we protect our national park sites for future generations."

Since last March, the Trump administration has moved to audit and remove historical facts and images from public lands, directing the Department of the Interior to take down signage and exhibits that, in the administration's eyes, "disparage" America and the country's history.

Since then, references to slavery, Native American history, the internment of Japanese citizens, and science have been removed from NPS units across the country, including at the Independence National House in Philadelphia. While federal courts found that these actions broke the law and demanded that NPS reinstall the exhibits at this site, many NPS units that have been impacted by Trump's actions have yet to have their exhibits or signage restored. The Washington Post recently reported the existence of an internal government database in which managers across NPS have flagged items they believe "disparage" America and are in violation of the Trump administration's order.

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