Billboards popping up across Philly slam national park cuts
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
More Perfect Union has launched an ad campaign against the Trump administration's cuts to national parks. Photo: Courtesy of More Perfect Union
A pro-labor news outlet is putting up 11 billboards across Philadelphia this week to protest the Trump administration's cuts to national parks.
The big picture: More Perfect Union launched a multimillion-dollar national ad blitz in more than 40 cities decrying the gutting of "one of our nation's most treasured assets."
- The billboards warn of the potential consequences of National Park Service layoffs, like longer waits, more trash and dirty bathrooms.
State of play: Pennsylvania has been hit hard by the Trump administration's purge of federal employees at national parks and forests, including at Philly's Independence Park.
- State officials last month reported an uptick in people booking state campsites amid DOGE's cost-cutting, which led to the closure of hundreds of campsites at a popular federally run Pennsylvania destination, Raystown Lake.
Zoom in: More than two dozen of the group's 300 billboards are going up in Pennsylvania.
- Several are located along I-95, one of Philly's busiest highways. They're also targeting Allentown and Pittsburgh.
- The group plans to keep the billboards up for about a month.
What they're saying: "Some elected officials and unelected billionaires would rather privatize or eliminate our public services," Faiz Shakir, executive director of More Perfect Union, says in a statement. Shakir, who ran Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, founded the pro-labor news outlet and its political advocacy arm shortly before the first Trump administration.
- "We believe strongly in the need for great public parks and outdoor spaces that all Americans can enjoy."
The other side: Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin didn't address the DOGE cuts directly.
- "We are working hard to make this another great year for visitors so that everyone can enjoy the beauty and wonder of the treasured landscapes in our Parks across the country," says Martin. "Park employees nationwide are enthusiastically preparing for an exciting peak season, with a shared goal of delivering exceptional service and unforgettable park experiences."
Editor's note: This story was updated to include a statement from the Interior Department as well as a fuller description of More Perfect Union.