Calif. congressman infuriates locals with response to Yosemite cuts

[SunSeeker]

Over the last several weeks, as Yosemite National Park fell into chaos due to the Trump administration’s whiplash-inducing executive orders and indiscriminate layoffs, people began asking what Rep. Tom McClintock was going to do about it. McClintock, a Republican, represents the 5th Congressional District, a sprawling Central California territory that contains Yosemite. He’s been conspicuously absent from town hall meetings in gateway towns and hasn’t been making public statements.

But on Thursday McClintock broke his silence and published an op-ed that infuriated park employees and gateway residents. Here’s his gist: The federal workforce is bloated. Only a few Yosemite employees got fired. The protesters are out of line. The park will be fine. McClintock likened legitimate concerns about endangered species going extinct, devastating wildfires and public safety hazards to a “Ghostbusters” quote: “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria,” he wrote.

He neglected to mention anything about the Trump administration suspending the park’s reservations system, which has been crucial to managing crowds and traffic congestion, and is silent on the employee credit card spending limit having been lowered to $1, meaning regional supervisors must now purchase items like toilet paper, hand soap and maintenance supplies.

The congressman emphasized that government spending must be reined in, stressing that every dollar of discretionary spending by the federal government is now borrowed. What he did not say is that the National Park Service requires less than one-fifteenth of 1 percent of the federal budget, or about $4.7 billion. Meanwhile, national parks added $56.5 billion to the economy in 2023, according to a park service report, and provided 415,400 jobs in nearby communities.

https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/tom-mcclintock-thinks-yosemite-is-fine-20209454.php?fbclid=IwY2xjawI9069leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXs5ZH5wfw6IJonrg-HyzC5XcmiwBZDtUR2vNnXdXujor1yFS_HrM1jzmw_aem_wYNDL9OCZbu7aAezHgPqTA