Sen. Angus King is pushing back against efforts by the Trump administration to remove historical information from National Parks.
At a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee today, King cited the removal of signs that offered information about slavery, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two, and other historical events.
"It doesn't change the history," he said. "It doesn't change what happened. It only changes our citizens' understanding of those things. This is what happens under authoritarian governments. If you go back in history, authoritarian governments, one of the things they try to do is change their history, to whitewash it, to change it, to change the story."
King also pressed park service officials for more details on their budget request, and whether there has been any analysis in the wake of the administration's hiring freeze and staffing cuts at the National Parks.
