A federal review of thousands of “partnership” agreements between the government and outside groups has discovered many that did not have “a clear benefit” to the government or opposed “the mission” of the Department of the Interior, and they now have been canceled.
“Under Secretary (Doug) Burgum, the Department of the Interior is ending partnerships with groups that no longer represent the priorities of the American people,” the department said in a statement.
It not only is ending the agreements, which often provided financial support, but also removing references to those groups from its websites, the agency said.
“The terminated agreements supported internship programs, conservation initiatives, research projects and cooperative partnerships,” according to a report at Fox News.
The number of partnerships ending is 43, the announcement said, and those moves eliminate more than $4 million in spending for those programs “tied to DEI, environmental justice and support services for illegal immigrants,” the report said.
The review across the department covered some 3,000 active agreements with about 2,000 outside organizations including non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, private groups and schools.
Among those affected is the Hispanic Access Foundation, which offered scholarships to illegal immigrant Latino students, and Latino Outdoors, which advised on how to avoid detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the report said.
“The department cited the American Alliance of Museums, which it said had a contract with the NPS to build DEI programs across national parks as part of the agency’s Community Engagement initiative. The department pointed to the group’s previous Facing Change initiative, which promoted DEI efforts at museums,” the report explained.
Yet another canceled group was demanding the “total phase out of fossil fuels,” and another was the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which sued the administration and criticized Trump agenda components.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Burgum, the Department of the Interior is taking decisive action to ensure its partnerships and resources support the priorities of this administration and the interests of the American people,” Matthew Middleton, principal deputy communications director and director of research, told Fox News Digital.
“As part of that commitment, the Department is ending relationships with organizations whose advocacy for phasing out baseload energy, defunding law enforcement services, and promoting racially preferential programs directly conflicts with this administration’s priorities. Interior will continue to invest in partnerships that expand access to public lands, promote responsible stewardship, and deliver tangible benefits to the American people.”
Other groups cited included the Green Schools Alliance, Doris Duke Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, American Alliance of Museums and more.
