Columbia Sportswear rips government shutdown: 'Make America's Parks Open Again'
Columbia Sportswear waded into politics on Friday, urging President Trump and lawmakers to end a partial government shutdown that put hundreds of thousands of federal employees out of work, including national park workers.
The apparel maker took out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post featuring the headline, “Make America’s Parks Open Again,” as well as a message from Columbia CEO Tim Boyle. Columbia spent $80,000 to publish the message, The Oregonian reported.
“Walls shouldn’t block access to parks, and federal workers shouldn’t be left out in the cold,” Boyle said. “Work together to open our parks.”
Government institutions have been partially shut down for three weeks amid a dispute between President Trump and Congressional Democrats. Trump has demanded $5 billion in funding toward the construction of a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration.
National parks have remained open during the shutdown. However, without park rangers and other essential employees, several facilities, including Joshua Tree National Park in California and Big Bend National Park in Texas, have reported issues ranging from vandalism to littering, The Hill reported.
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Boyle criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies in June 2018, referring to the government’s immigration crackdown as a “travesty,” according to The Oregonian. Other outdoor apparel retailers, including Patagonia, have publicly bashed the administration’s environmental policies.