Park Service under fire for Statue of Liberty fundraising pitch

Several lawmakers are criticizing the National Park Service's private sector fundraising pitch in conjunction with American Express and Folgers coffee to raise funds for improvements to the Statue Of Liberty.

American Express plans to donate $500,000, plus another $2.5 million based on card purchases, for Statue of Liberty improvements, and provides a link for card members on www.statueofliberty.org to donate. Folgers is offering a trip for four to the statue in a sweepstakes for every donation of $5 or more, and it is contributing $1 for every foil seal from Folgers AromaSeal canisters and Instant Coffees received, up to $500,000.

"This particular marketing pitch on their fundraising plans makes Congress look like a bunch of idiots," a Senate GOP aide said. The administration has yet to formally request any funds from Congress, the aide added.

At the same time, the administration is coming under fire from both sides of the aisle for not including $5 million for security improvements needed to reopen the Statue of Liberty.

The criticism comes at the same time the White House has requested 54 earmarked projects be funded at a cost of $329.9 million. One of those earmarks is $9.9 million to "provide structural and utility rehabilitation for the Executive Residence" at the White House.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., whose office performed the analysis of National Park Service requests, said he plans to introduce legislation to set aside $5 million for the Statue of Liberty, which has been closed to visitors since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

An Office of Management and Budget spokesman noted the fiscal 2005 budget includes $500,000 for security improvements at the Statue of Liberty and that $2.2 million was appropriated in fiscal 2004. Some of the $5.1 million spent under the fiscal 2003 emergency supplemental was directed to the statue.

The spokesman added that while the administration does not typically request line-item earmarks, the National Park Service budget often contains specific requests. Other earmarks in the Bush budget include $10 million to replace a condemned ski chalet at Lassen Volcanic National Park in California with improved visitor facilities. The Park Service Web site says the new facility will "contain interpretive exhibits and displays, an auditorium for showing a park film and holding special events, an amphitheater for evening programs and interpretive talks" and a new gift shop and restaurant.

The request contains several nods to the home state of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, including $14.7 million to construct the Northwest Alaska Heritage Center at the Western Arctic National Parklands and $1.1 million to construct a museum to "preserve and interpret" the Ahtna culture at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Under the Bush request, earmarks range from $735,000 to build restrooms and replace a restroom at New York's Fire Island National Seashore to $5 million to "rehabilitate bathhouses for adaptive reuse" at Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park. The request also includes replacement of winter snowcoaches at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and $806,000 for a Flight 93 memorial in Pennsylvania.