During President Obama’s State of the Union address he said, “Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't.”

However, in today’s budget proposal, the Administration included an additional $170 million to buy more public land through the Land and Water Conservation Fund – bringing total funding for the program to $620 million.

When the National Park Service already has a $9 billion maintenance backlog, most Americans would agree that purchasing more government land does not qualify as a “need.”

“Stays on track to fully fund Land and Water Conservation Fund programs by 2014 by providing nearly $620 million to acquire new lands for national parks, forests and refuges, protect endangered species habitat, and promote outdoor recreation.” (White House FY 2011 Budget, page 91)

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