Trump's executive order aims to eliminate elements of historic Presidio Trust in San Francisco
Trump targeting Presidio Trust
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday night targeting the Presido Trust, saying parts of the historic national park in San Francisco with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge should be "eliminated" because it is "unnecessary.
SAN FRANCISCO - President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday night targeting the Presido Trust, saying certain elements of the historic national park in San Francisco with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge should be "eliminated" because they are "unnecessary."
The Presidio used to be a military base, and is now home to hiking trails, Crissy Field, the Golden Gate Promenade, campgrounds, restaurants and a golf course.
Trump specifically referred to the "non-statuatory" elements of the trust to "reduce the scope of the federal bureaucracy," which would effectively mean reducing activities and staff.
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 in Washington, D.C., which funds development in Latin America and the Caribbean; the United States African Development Foundation, founded in 1980 to invest in grassroots African enterprises; and the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., established in 1984 to prevent deadly conflict abroad.
The order gives the heads of these groups 14 days to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget confirming "compliance" with the order.
The Presidio Trust was created by Congress in 1996 to work with the National Park Service and the nonprofit, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, to manage the Presidio.
What we don't know:
In an email, the Presidio Trust said they will respond to the OMB in two weeks, and they are confident their activities are all "statutorily based."
By that, the trust said that Trump's order requires the Presidio Trust to get rid of "all non-statutory functions."
In the trust's opinion, their mandate is to "manage the leasing, maintenance, rehabilitation, repair and improvement of property within the Presidio" and "develop a comprehensive program for management of those lands and facilities within the Presidio which are transferred to the administrative jurisdiction of the trust."
Those programs, the trust stated, are designed to reduce expenditures by the National Park Service and increase revenues for the federal government "to the maximum extent possible."
The trust added that the Presidio Trust has not received regular annual appropriations from Congress since 2013, and instead, relies on the funds earned by leasing the historic buildings that the trust has renovated.
In its statement, the Presidio Trust vowed that everything will remain as is and operate as normal.
And to further clarify, the Presidio Trust said the main thing is that the order does not call for the elimination of the Presidio Trust – that would require an act of Congress to repeal the Presidio Trust Act.
It calls only to "eliminate non-statutory functions," which means reducing activities and staff.
It's unclear how the OMB will interpret this justification to remain open.
University of New Haven Professor James Mohs, a government spending expert, told KTVU that the OMB will evaluate whether the dollars spent on the Presidio Trust are worth it.
If they decide they're not, then Mohns said there will likely be layoffs and furloughs.
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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.
Taking back money for the Presidio was included in a 50-page list of ideas circulated by top Republicans as they looked for ways to cover the cost of a tax cut and a bill to crack down on immigration.
The item, states that rescinding $200 million secured by U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), under President Joe Biden, would revoke that transfer of money because using it on deferred maintenance projects is not "consistent with standard agency practices."
Pelosi commented on Trump's move on Thursday morning, saying that the trust has been protected by "assaults over time by its statutory strength."
She said that she would be "carefully reviewing" the language of the order and its purpose.
Why you should care:
A woman and child stand at the Presidio.
Don Adams of San Francisco was out walking his dog on Thursday around Presidio Park, which the trust cares for.
"Well, let California take care of this," Adams said. "Because this is our place. It's not Donald Trump's place. I hope and pray we can figure out what to do. And hopefully we as a city can figure out how to save this."
Karen McSorley of San Francisco said getting rid of the Presidio Trust is an "absolutely absurd idea."
"What makes America so special are these open spaces," she said.
The trust's mission is to keep the national park site "beautiful and welcoming for generations to come."
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 a1,500-acre national park site and a National Historic Landmark District where visitors can walk through historical sites and archaeological artifacts.
The trust is controlled by a seven-person board. Six are appointed by the president, while the seventh is chosen by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Local perspective:
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi greets Greg Moore (L) executive director of the Parks Conservancy and Brian O'Neill, general superintendent of the Golden Gate National Parks before a news conference announcing a $15 million dollar donation fo
Trump's order comes about three years after Pelosi secured $200 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior for the park, which she said is one of the largest single federal investments in the Presidio Trust since its establishment.
The deferred maintenance money was slated to update the Presidio's electrical system, and convert gas usage to electric to power the park, as well as to fix up aging historic buildings.
Addressing these issues, Pelosi said, is crucial to keeping the park open and free.
"These federal dollars reaffirm what San Franciscans already know: the Presidio is a national treasure," Pelosi said in a statement at the time.
Pelosi, who lives nearby in Pacific Heights, has long been a champion of this land.
In 2007, she held a news conference while announcing a $15 million donation from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund to build scenic overlooks and build a network of 24 miles of trails.
The Presidio is a park and former U.S. Army post in San Francisco. It's also part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
What's next:
Politicians called out Trump for causing chaos and confusion for the Presidio's 3,000 employees.
Supervisor Stephen Sherrill called it a "political stunt designed to stir chaos where none exists."
"This is a deliberate attempt to bait us into a political game," he said.
And 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 on social media. "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."