Senior Discounts at National Parks May Be on the Chopping Block

A proposal to the U.S. Interior Department suggested privatizing national parks, forcing older visitors to pay full admission for the summer months that run from the end of June to just before the Labor Day weekend, reports CBS News . "What's most troubling . . . is that seniors have already paid for this senior pass and they would have to pay twice during the blackout period," said AARP's Bill Sweeney. "We think that if someone paid, they should get what they paid for and be able to enjoy a national park just as much as anyone else." The proposal from the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee is one of several that have raised the hackles of conservation experts, especially with the Trump administration proposing to reduce the National Park Service's budget by about $495 million to about $3.5 billion in 2020. An e-mail from an Interior Department spokesperson said the committee was terminated on Nov. 1 as part of a federal review. "No action has been taken on the committee's recommendations, and once the report is fully reviewed, we'll respond as appropriate," he wrote.