A Trump administration proposal to cut government waste could give political appointees veto power over funding for a Reagan-era program that protects national heritage and historical sites across the country.
Draft regulation revisions published in May to “improve transparency, accountability, and oversight” of the money the federal government doles out every year to thousands of institutions and organizations have already shaken up scientific institutions and rattled senior Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
The proposal is also roiling the little-known National Heritage Areas program.
Supported by the National Park Service and run mostly by nonprofits, National Heritage Areas rely on a mix of federal, state and philanthropic donations to conserve the country’s cultural footprint. The areas include Detroit, Michigan’s cultural legacy of the auto industry and Tennessee’s Civil War battlefields. The program provides hundreds of microgrants to local historical societies, museums, trail organizations and educational programs.
