The US Department of the Interior illegally used fees to keep national parks open during shutdowns: GAO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration illegally used national park royalties to keep the parks open during the government's 35-day shutdown in December and January, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office said Thursday.

The GAO stated that the Ministry of the Interior had violated the federal credit law by using entry fees paid by visitors to national parks, which are supposed to be used for maintenance and improvement.

During the closing on December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, the Department of the Interior asked National Park Service staff to keep national parks accessible, as well as the minimum number of staff on the site. This has raised concerns among NPS employees regarding public safety and resource protection.

During the closure, parks such as Joshua Tree and Yosemite, California, remained open with limited staff, and faced sanitation and health issues such as overflowing toilets and bins.

A representative of the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement that his use of the fees was "appropriate and legal".

"The ministry has done well within its legal powers to clean the toilets and collect garbage, so that the American people can enjoy their national parks," the statement said.

The GAO inquiry arose from a request by US Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico and US Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota who feared that keeping the national parks partially open was intended to "limit the effects of closure on public relations ".

The Federal Land Recreation Improvement Act (FLREA) requires that royalties collected from national parks be used for maintenance and improvement.

"The Administration's decision to use these fees for daily core operations during the closure of President Trump is a flagrant violation of the law," McCollum said in a statement.

The GAO said that the Interior Department should report its violation to Congress and specify the steps to be taken to prevent it from repeating similar violations.