Trump Pulls Park Service Nominee, Chaos Ensues

0:00President Trump just pulled the nomination of Scott Socha to head to National Park Service. Socha's a hospitality exec from Delaware North, the company handling food and lodging at a bunch of parks. White House announced it Monday, no reason given. He got tap back in February to push their plans for shrinking the agency. The park service has been in chaos, without a permanent director since Trump took office. It's run by acting head Jessica Balron right now, just like during his first term with the string of temps. Thousands of staffers got fired or balanced as part of cuts to slash the workforce. Conservation folks aren't shocked. Groups like the National Parts Conservation Association say Socha lacked the chops for managing everything from the Statue of Liberty to desert. Monuments. They want the next leader to fix the mess and provide real stability after over a year without steady guidance. Budget hits keep coming too. Next year's plan drops staffing to 9,200, down nearly 30%, and slices the operating cash by over $1 billion, too.

1:032.2 billion. Lawmakers blocked similar cuts last time after warnings it had gut the parks. Meanwhile, they're charging international visitors 100 bucks each at spots like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and slap Trump's face on. Citizen annual passes sparking lawsuits. Acting director Balron holds the fort as they hunt for a new pick to steer through these storms. This has been Durham News Today, powered by AI.