Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a score of grants and donations on Wednesday to help protect America’s battlefields, including the recipient of President Donald Trump’s first-quarter salary. However, the announcement comes as Trump plans to slash some $1.5 billion under his proposed federal budget from the National Park Service, which oversees protected battlefields like Antietam. ​“As both the Secretary of the Interior and a military veteran, I’m deeply honored and humbled to deliver the donation to Antietam National Battlefield on behalf of President Trump,” Zinke said in a statement announcing the donation. But the National Park Service will likely be forced to dramatically scale back its ability to serve the public under the White House’s proposed budget. “If enacted, this budget would represent the largest cut to the National Park Service since World War II,” Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association said in May.

Source: Huffington Post July 06, 2017 05:15 UTC