Trump donates his first quarter salary to the National Park Service

Trump’s salary will go toward the backlog of maintenance projects at historic battlefields.

The Department of the Interior announced on Monday that President Donald Trump would donate his first quarter salary to the National Park Service. The money will go toward the maintenance backlog at the nation’s historic battlefields, according to a press release from the Department of the Interior.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Tyrone Brandyburg, superintendent of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, accepted the $78,333 check at the daily White House Press briefing.

This isn’t an April Fools joke, as far as we can tell. (If it was, that would be pretty cruel.) But it is interesting timing, as the Department of the Interior faced steep cuts under the budget Trump proposed just a couple of weeks ago.

“President Trump is dedicated to our veterans, our public lands, and keeping his promises, and by donating his salary to the National Park Service to repair our historic battlefields proves his commitment,” Zinke said in a press release. “These historic places tell the story of conflicts that helped shape our country’s history, and they also honor the many men and women who have given their lives in service of this great nation. I’m honored to help the president carry out his love and appreciation for our warriors and land.”

The estimated $12 billion in backlogged projects includes $229 million in projects for the 25 sites classified in some way as battlefields. They include sites like Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Harpers Ferry–through which runs the Appalachian Trail–and Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland.