Back to the Real Salt Lake Newsfeed

Trump exempts public-lands outfitters, guides from Obama-era order to pay their workers higher wages

Related Topics: Donald Trump, Public land, Amnesty

Washington • President Donald Trump on Friday overturned an Obama-era order that required outfitters with federal permits for excursions on public lands to pay their workers a higher wage.

Trump’s executive order, which takes effect immediately, was unveiled just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, when summer tourists begin descending on national parks and other lands in large numbers. It also comes at the request of outfitters, who say paying a higher wage would limit the number of employees they can hire, while also raising costs to tourists.

In 2014, President Barack Obama had required federal contractors pay at least a $10.