Washington • A Senate committee Tuesday advanced legislation to set aside billions of dollars to whittle away at a maintenance backlog at America’s national parks, with Sen. Mike Lee of Utah joining three other Republicans in voting against the proposal.
Lee opposed the measure, called the Restore Our Parks Act, because he said it takes away money from the general treasury without any related cuts elsewhere, shortchanging the government at a time the national debt is increasing. He also said the bill mandates funding, leaving Congress unable to control it at a later date.
Lee, who has branded himself as a fiscal conservative champion and votes against temporary budget bills out of principle, said the U.