Dozens of East Potomac Park advocates took to Capitol Hill on Thursday to urge lawmakers to include safeguards around funding for the park in upcoming federal spending legislation.
They asked members of the congressional subcommittees that oversee National Park Service funding that any money appropriated to repair the park’s aging seawall be barred from going toward President Donald Trump’s plans to remodel the park’s golf course. Democrats could push for that language if Republicans seek to rush a spending bill through the House and Senate before losing control of both chambers in January.
Several of the coalition of runners, bikers, golfers and D.C. officials, who attended 29 meetings with Congress members, said they feel so strongly about saving the green space that they were moved to venture into the Capitol for the very first time.
“I feel like I’m in, I don’t know, ‘National Treasure’ or something,” said 31-year-old Raphael Melke, a runner who attended several of Thursday’s meetings. “When you think of lobbying, you always think of these people who are super highly paid. People who are coming out and on behalf of special interests … but this is a very much more grassroots initiative.”
Trending
Melke is one of the hundreds of District residents who have spoken out in recent months against the federal government’s interference at the park. It is slated to close Sunday to redevelop the existing municipal golf course and pedestrian areas into a “world class championship” course at Trump’s behest.
Earlier this year, the White House asked Congress for $500 million for the construction of National Park Service projects. The request included financing for the East Potomac Park seawall. Interior Department plans say a replacement seawall is necessary for the redevelopment to move forward and put the cost between $150 million and $400 million.
“[Trump is] asking for funding for the seawall because he knows that’s the easier thing to get money for,” Ankit Jain, the U.S. shadow senator for D.C., told The Washington Sun before the meetings. “We agree that it needs to be funded. We’ve been saying that for decades. We just want to make sure there’s restrictions on the use of any funding for any other purpose.”
Jain led a group of the community lobbyists in asking lawmakers to back a proposal by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) that would bar any money appropriated for the seawall from being used for any other project, such as the golf course redevelopment. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), who serves as the ranking Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee that would handle the funding, told The Washington Post that she is “absolutely” in support of the proposal.
Addressing the volunteer lobbyists Thursday morning, D.C. Delegate-elect Robert White emphasized that the push to protect the park is “not an anti-Trump,” partisan effort.
“This is a pro-people, pro-public lands effort,” White said. “The laws on the books that dictate a process for these things don’t seem to be enough.”
Since its future came into question, East Potomac Park has been embroiled in legal fights. In October, the government cut down more than 400 trees at the park, leading to a blistering condemnation by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who has blocked further action at the park.
In a 70-page opinion, Reyes referred to the case as a “Lorax v. Once‑ler redux.” The federal government has appealed the injunction, which Trump called “unconstitutional” on social media.
Melke and other advocates at the Thursday meetings hope to be a voice for the park that rises above the legal tug-of-war.
Earlier this fall, Melke ran in the Marine Corps Marathon 8K, which routes around the park’s Hains Point. He’s training to run in the full marathon next year, but the thought of the race taking place anywhere else is disheartening. Beyond running, the park has allowed him to connect with D.C.’s Eritrean American community.
“As someone who’s not native to this area, it has been a place for me to grow my connection to the actual district,” Melke said. “[The park] makes it really feel like home.”
Author
