Lawmakers expressed frustration, disappointment and concern Tuesday following the sudden revelation that the Trump administration was again short of a nominee to lead the National Park Service.
The White House on Monday formally withdrew Scott Socha, an executive with the hospitality firm Delaware North, leaving the agency that oversees the nation’s most visited destinations without a permanent chief just as the busy summer season and celebrations of the country’s 250th birthday get underway.
Maine independent Sen. Angus King, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, called the withdrawal “unfortunate.” “We need a leader,” he said.
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the the NPS budget, said she was worried about the “leadership vacuum” at parks but also the Trump administration using the post for “political patronage.”
