Interior Department

The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a cabinet-level agency of the US federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources, as well as the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and insular areas of the United States. Recent news highlights controversies surrounding the DOI's actions under the Trump administration. These include a judge ordering the National Park Service (NPS), a bureau within the DOI, to restore a slavery exhibit at a Philadelphia historical site, alleging the government was attempting to rewrite history. Another incident involves the removal of an LGBTQ+ Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, raising concerns about the sanitization of historical narratives. Furthermore, a lawsuit has been filed challenging the use of a presidential image on Park Service passes, claiming it violates federal law requiring images of public lands. These events underscore the DOI's role in shaping historical representation and access to public lands, making its decisions subject to public and legal scrutiny.