SAN FRANCISCO – President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday night targeting the Presido Trust, saying the historic San Francisco park with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge should be “eliminated” because it is “unnecessary.”
What we know:
The order, titled “Commencing the Reduction of Federal Bureaucracy Executive Order,” lists four federal sites as examples of federal “waste and abuse.”
The other three sites are the Inter-American Foundation, the United States African Development Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace.
The order gives the heads of these groups 14 days to submit a report to the Office of Management and Burdget confirming “compliance” with the order.
What we don’t know:
No one from the trust was immediately available to comment on Thursday, so it was unclear if officials would fight or comply with the order.
Big picture view:
Trump campaigned on, and is now making good on his promises, to cut what he describes as waste from the federal government.
In less than two months, he has laid off thousands of federal employees, from departments including Veterans Affairs, the Education Department, the Energy Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the IRS, the National Park Service and other branches of government.
Why you should care:
The trust’s mission is to keep the national park site “beautiful and welcoming for generations to come.”
The Presidio Trust was established in 1996.
It encompasses the traditional territory of the Yelamu, a local tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula.
It then served as a military outpost for the Spanish Empire, the Mexican Republic, and the United States Army.
Today, it’s a national park site and a National Historic Landmark District where visitors can walk through historical sites and archaeological facts.
Local perspective:
Trump’s order comes roughly three weeks after Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced on Feb. 1 that the Presidio of San Francisco is set to receive $200 million from U.S. Department of the Interior: one of the largest single federal investments in the Presidio Trust since its establishment.
“These federal dollars reaffirm what San Franciscans already know: the Presidio is a national treasure,” Pelosi said in a statement. “This critical federal funding will ensure the Presidio’s spectacular front window to the Bay is maintained by renewing and replacing aged utilities and their infrastructure.”
After years of deferred maintenance, the Presidio currently faces several critical maintenance needs – and addressing them is crucial to keep the park free, open and sustainable in the long-term, Pelosi’s office said.
This money will go to upgrade the park’s outdated electrical system, as well as power the Presidio’s transition from gas to electric utilities to reduce its carbon footprint. The money will also go toward rehabilitating historic buildings around the Tunnel Tops.
What’s next:
On social media, state Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) vowed to fight Trump’s order.
“Trump is now trying to kill off the Presidio Trust in San Francisco — a national treasure that’s transformed the Presidio into a self-sustaining, world-class park,” Wiener wrote. “Trump is so deeply vile that he can’t tolerate success if it doesn’t benefit him personally. This move is illegal. We won’t go quietly.”
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