A sign at the entrance of Death Valley National Park is seen during the government shutdown on October 9, 2025(Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
More than a dozen U.S. senators are calling on the Department of the Interior (DOI) to explain why the Trump administration ordered the National Park Service (NPS) to remove multiple historical signs across American national park sites.
On February 24, 17 senators sent a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Douglas Burgum, demanding answers about the removal of the signs. New Mexican U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, the Democratic ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, sentOutsidea copy. Among the senators who signed the letter, all Democrats, are Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. The signatories requested an answer by March 10.
A representative for Sen. Heinrich toldOutsidethat, although the DOI confirmed receipt of the letter, the Trump administration has yet to provide a substantive response.Outsidealso contacted the agency for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of this publication.
“The Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the exhibit deprives park visitors of a full and accurate understanding of American history. Removing or sanitizing exhibits that depict the realities of our past sets a dangerous precedent by signaling that history can simply be erased or altered when those in power do not like the truth presented,” the senators wrote in their letter. “A core responsibility of the NPS is to preserve and interpret history based on facts and not political preferences.”
In March 2025, President Trumpsigned an executive orderdirecting federal agencies to review how American history is portrayed at NPS sites. The order required officials to ensure that sites do not contain content that “inappropriately disparage[s] Americans past or living.” In the year since, NPS staff haveremoved or flagged interpretive signsat dozens of NPS locations, from the Stonewall in New York City toGlacier National Parkin Montana. (A state-by-state guide of all signs known to have been removed can be seenhere.)
“The removal of exhibits by NPS has become a troubling trend, sadly,” the signatories wrote. “National parks provide visitors with an opportunity to appreciate our nation’s natural beauty and rich history while also serving as educational spaces that inform visitors across this country and the world.”
To date, the federal government has not provided a publicly available list of NPS exhibits it has removed or altered. In their letter, the senators asked the DOI to provide such information, as well as further details about future plans to remove or alter additional exhibits at national parks.
Senators Jeffrey Merkley, Edward Markey, Christopher Coons, Jack Reed, Alex Padilla, Chris Van Hollen, Tina Smith, Ruben Gallego, Tammy Duckworth, Mark Kelly, Ron Wyden, Mazie Hirono, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Richard Durbin also signed the letter.
The text of the letter to the DOI is below:
We write to express deep concern over the recent actions by the National Park Service (NPS) in removing an exhibit that provided valuable information about the enslaved people who lived and worked at the President’s House, now a part of the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
The Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the exhibit deprives park visitors of a full and accurate understanding of American history. Removing or sanitizing exhibits that depict the realities of our past sets a dangerous precedent by signaling that history can simply be erased or altered when those in power do not like the truth presented—opening the door for future administrations to do the same. A core responsibility of the NPS is to preserve and interpret history based on facts and not political preferences.
The removal of exhibits by NPS has become a troubling trend sadly. Not only has this Administration ordered the removal of exhibits related to slavery, it has ordered national parks around the country to remove exhibits or signage related to Native American history, climate change, and environmental impacts. According to an article by The Washington Post, “Trump officials instructed staff to remove or edit signs and other informational materials in at least 17 additional parks in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.” 1 National parks provide visitors with an opportunity to appreciate our nation’s natural beauty and rich history while also serving as educational spaces that inform visitors across this country and the world.
Accordingly, we request that your Department provide responses to the following questions by March 10, 2026:
• Since the issuance of President Trump’s Executive Order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”, how many exhibits has the Department removed or otherwise altered? • What specific information in the exhibit at the President’s House in Philadelphia does the Department consider inaccurate? If the information is accurate, what is DOI’s rationale for its removal? • Does the Department intend to remove or alter additional exhibits within National Park System units across the United States? If so, please provide the timeline and a comprehensive list of all exhibits under consideration, and the rational for removal. • Does the Department plan to replace all removed exhibits from national parks? If so, when will this occur, and what sources or historical documentation will inform the revised content?
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
