Americans are finally getting a break as President Trump signs an executive order making foreign tourists pay more to enter U.S. national parks—while American families get first dibs on access, and the woke DEI agenda gets the boot.
At a Glance
- Trump’s executive order forces international visitors to pay higher fees at U.S. national parks, prioritizing American taxpayers.
- New policy revokes Obama-era diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates for park management.
- Anticipated $90 million annual boost for park maintenance, even as park staff face layoffs from government downsizing.
- Administration frames the move as a return to common sense and fiscal fairness for American families.
Trump Targets Foreign Park-Goers: Americans Come First
The days of American taxpayers footing the bill while foreign sightseers get a free ride in our national parks are over. On July 3, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order making international visitors pay higher entry fees at U.S. national parks, finally aligning park funding with the principle that those who use the system should pay for it—especially if they’re not paying American taxes. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is now tasked with rolling out this new fee structure, redirecting the benefits to those who actually pay the bills: U.S. citizens. According to the White House, this order is about restoring fairness—Americans already fund these parks with their hard-earned tax dollars, while foreign visitors have been handed a subsidized vacation on the backs of the American middle class.
The new policy also gives American residents priority in park reservation and permitting systems, meaning citizens will actually have a shot at booking the family trip of a lifetime—without being pushed aside by international tour buses. The message is loud and clear: the days of putting outsiders before Americans are done, at least as long as this administration is in charge.
DEI Gets the Axe as Park Fees Rise for Foreigners
The order didn’t just stop at hiking fees for non-citizens. In a move sure to ruffle feathers in the leftist bureaucracy, Trump’s executive action revoked an Obama-era memorandum that had forced the National Park Service and other public land managers to indulge in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) theater. The administration’s rationale? Get back to basics—protect the land, maintain the parks, and stop using taxpayer dollars for social engineering experiments that have nothing to do with keeping trails open or campgrounds clean.
While the legacy media and activist groups like the National Parks Conservation Association are already howling about lost “representation” and “equity,” the average American is left wondering what DEI ever did to fix a broken boardwalk or keep Yellowstone’s roads clear. With the maintenance backlog ballooning under the last administration, the new policy aims to put dollars and priorities back where they belong: preserving America’s natural treasures, not subsidizing bureaucratic bloat or overseas vacationers.
Common Sense Returns: Fiscal Fairness, Not Foreign Handouts
The Interior Department projects that the foreign tourist surcharge will rake in more than $90 million a year—money that will actually be used for what American families care about: fixing trails, upgrading campsites, and maintaining public restrooms. This is a win for anyone tired of seeing their tax dollars wasted on endless government expansion or, worse, on subsidizing non-citizens who don’t contribute a dime to America’s upkeep. Of course, the order comes as part of a broader push to shrink government excess and rein in spending, even as nearly 1,000 National Park Service employees were laid off earlier this year. The administration’s message is that belt-tightening needs to happen everywhere, and when tough choices are made, American interests come first—no more apologizing for it.
Critics, naturally, have lined up with their usual complaints about “inclusivity” and the supposed economic hit to gateway communities that rely on foreign visitors. But the facts are simple: Americans have been subsidizing foreign tourists for years, and the maintenance backlog isn’t going away by simply throwing more DEI consultants at the problem. With this move, the White House is betting that prioritizing fiscal sanity over virtue signaling will finally give American families the access, affordability, and respect they deserve on their own public lands.
