The Interior Department says a leaked internal database outlining proposed changes to historical content at national parks consisted of draft, deliberative materials and does not represent final policy. The Washington Post first reported the disclosure, which included proposed edits on African-American history, LGBT rights and climate change across hundreds of sites. The department called the leak inappropriate and illegal, warned employees who altered or disclosed records would face consequences, and said it will investigate. The leak comes amid broader disputes over agency employees who have criticized administration policy.
Leaked Interior Database Shows Trump Administration Plans To Revise Historical Content At National Parks
United States Department of the Interior logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The U.S. Interior Department says a recently disclosed internal database that outlined the Trump administration’s plans to revise or remove historical content at national park sites consisted of draft, deliberative documents and does not reflect final department policy. The department has condemned the disclosure and warned that employees who edited or leaked the records "will be held accountable."
An internal database first reported by The Washington Post and subsequently posted on two public websites detailed proposed changes affecting coverage of African-American history, LGBT rights, climate change and other topics across hundreds of National Park Service sites. The posts revealed the breadth of an initiative to alter interpretive materials and exhibits at parks and historic sites nationwide.
"The narrative being advanced is false and these draft, deliberative internal documents are not a representation of final action taken by the department," an Interior Department spokesperson said, adding that the release was inappropriate and illegal but not identifying a specific statute.
Administration officials have publicly pushed cultural and historical institutions — from museums and monuments to national parks — to remove what President Trump describes as "anti-American" viewpoints from public displays. Civil rights advocates and historians have criticized such efforts, saying they could roll back decades of progress in how U.S. history is interpreted and presented.
The leaked materials, officials said, were working drafts that in some cases had been edited in ways that misrepresented their original intent. The department vowed to investigate and discipline employees it says altered records or unlawfully disclosed them.
Context And Related Actions
The disclosure follows other high-profile clashes between the administration and federal employees who criticized policy. Last year, several staffers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were placed on leave after signing an open letter opposing agency leadership, and some Environmental Protection Agency employees were dismissed after signing a letter critical of agency actions.
Critics say the broader campaign to change narratives at cultural sites has included the removal or alteration of slavery exhibits and moves to restore Confederate monuments — actions that have drawn sharp pushback from historians, civil rights groups and some lawmakers.
Reporting: Kanishka Singh in Washington. Editing: Thomas Derdinghaus.
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