Lawmaker disputes impact of budget cuts on parks

WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of a House oversight committee is challenging the head of the National Park Service’s grim predictions of the impact automatic spending cuts would have on hundreds of parks across the country.

Republican Congressman Darrel Issa of California says at a hearing Tuesday that Park Service Director Jon Jarvis fed fears that trash would not be picked up, bathrooms wouldn’t be cleaned, and access roads would go unplowed. In fact, Issa said, the Park Service’s budget official told the House oversight committee staff last week that 99 percent of park visitors won’t even notice the effects of the budget reductions.

Jarvis tells the committee the Park Service is trimming its budget by $153 million and those cuts will affect every park activity.