From Preservation Action:

This week the Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Park Subcommittee held a hearing on more than 20 bills related to National Parks. This included S. 2385, introduced by Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), which would codify the Trump Administration's Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. This harmful order calls for the elimination of so-called "divisive, race-centered ideology" from the Smithsonian Institution and directs the Secretary of the Interior to review and take action to reinstate monuments, memorials, statues, or similar properties that have removed or altered. This order and similar efforts have already led to significant changes within the Smithsonian and National Park Service.

During the hearing, the co-chair of the Subcommittee, Sen. Angus King (I-ME) expressed his opposition to efforts by the Administration to whitewash and rewrite our history, citing several examples of where history dealing with slavery or other chapters of our history were removed or altered. During his opening remarks, Sen. King also expressed his serious concerns over the significant staffing and budget cuts underway at the National Park Service.

Preservationists, historians, park advocates and others have spoken our against this executive order and other attempts to censor or erase our history. In August, Preservation Action joined more than 100 organizations in a coalition sign-on letter to the Department of Interior opposing the order and urging it's recission.

During the hearing, Senators also heard testimony on several other park related bills, including legislation to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in Maryland and legislation to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in Georgia, just name a few.

Check out the full hearing below to learn more.