Trump’s Diverting $2.5 Million From National Parks For His Fourth Of July Event

President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July celebration is set to be a military extravaganza featuring tanks in Washington, DC. It’s already controversial and a recent report on its cost will only increase public criticism of the event.

The administration is diverting $2.5 million from the National Parks Service to the event – money that was intended for national parks across the country. Though a relatively small amount of the federal budget, the money may have been useful for national parks in local areas.

“Certainly going to be more expensive than previous years. Anytime you get a presidential visit there are inherent security costs,” said Mark Litterest of the National Parks Service.

The event will feature a speech by the President in front of the Lincoln Memorial, a flypast by the air force and a ticketed event for Republican Party donors. The flypast has been described as a training flight, so it is not considered an extra cost to the taxpayer.

Trump has been accused of making the Fourth of July a partisan, political festival and a celebration of himself. The cost will also raise concerns at a time when migrant children are detained in overcrowded detention centers and Trump’s promised infrastructure spending has yet to materialize.