Just dwelling on the first question discussed, i.e., National Park Service (NPS) spending on surveys, https://www.censusofsurveys.com/data/by_agency/doi/nps.html looks pretty definitive (annual total under $4 million dollars) and detailed (with links to the details of each of the surveys.)
Perhaps I am biased, or at least cynical, but all the makeovers of Elon Musk by an AI bot or one of the humanoid bots in this administration will sway my opinion of this guy. This is a great article and fun to follow through on!
It's frustrating to me, Tom, that you and I worked harder to get to the bottom of this issue than CBS who made the claim that the information was false. (See Grok response below.) Thank goodness intelligent people don't rely on the media for the facts.
So apparently the claim was misattributed to NPS rather than DOI, and the timing of the contract cancellation is unclear below, but the contract information was not fabricated.
Taking your research further, NPS falls under the Department of the Interior. Here is what Grok says about the subject:
"Yes, the Department of the Interior did attempt to award a contract for $830 million to conduct surveys. According to multiple sources, including statements from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum during a Cabinet meeting and information from the Department of the Interior's own website, there was a plan or process to award this contract. The contract, intended for conducting multiple surveys, was highlighted as part of a broader effort to outline spending cuts, with Burgum noting its cancellation saved $830 million. Additional confirmation comes from a post by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), which stated that the Federal Consulting Group attempted to award this amount for similar surveys, though it was canceled before being signed.
However, there is some conflicting information. For instance, CBS News reported finding no evidence that the Department of the Interior spent or planned to spend $830 million on a survey or single contract, and no such contract appeared on DOGE’s public "wall of receipts." This discrepancy may stem from the contract being canceled early in the process—before it was fully implemented or officially recorded. Despite this, the consistent reporting from official sources, including mainstream outlets citing the $830 million figure and the Department’s own acknowledgment of its cancellation, supports the conclusion that an attempt was made.
Thus, while the contract never fully took effect and was terminated before signature, the planning and negotiation stages constitute an attempt. Therefore, the answer is yes—the Department of the Interior did attempt a contract for $830 million to conduct surveys.
Just dwelling on the first question discussed, i.e., National Park Service (NPS) spending on surveys, https://www.censusofsurveys.com/data/by_agency/doi/nps.html looks pretty definitive (annual total under $4 million dollars) and detailed (with links to the details of each of the surveys.)
And the CBS News article cited by GROK, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-doge-false-claim-billion-dollar-national-park-survey/, sounds robust.
The administration's claims cited in the CBS News article appear to be unjustified.
But I could be wrong! We all have cognitive biases. So let's see what other evidence people can find vis-a-vis NPS survey spending.
I'm posting a new note today on the nitty-gritty of BPAs, the contract framework that the Department of Interior was working on.
Perhaps I am biased, or at least cynical, but all the makeovers of Elon Musk by an AI bot or one of the humanoid bots in this administration will sway my opinion of this guy. This is a great article and fun to follow through on!
It's frustrating to me, Tom, that you and I worked harder to get to the bottom of this issue than CBS who made the claim that the information was false. (See Grok response below.) Thank goodness intelligent people don't rely on the media for the facts.
So apparently the claim was misattributed to NPS rather than DOI, and the timing of the contract cancellation is unclear below, but the contract information was not fabricated.
Taking your research further, NPS falls under the Department of the Interior. Here is what Grok says about the subject:
"Yes, the Department of the Interior did attempt to award a contract for $830 million to conduct surveys. According to multiple sources, including statements from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum during a Cabinet meeting and information from the Department of the Interior's own website, there was a plan or process to award this contract. The contract, intended for conducting multiple surveys, was highlighted as part of a broader effort to outline spending cuts, with Burgum noting its cancellation saved $830 million. Additional confirmation comes from a post by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), which stated that the Federal Consulting Group attempted to award this amount for similar surveys, though it was canceled before being signed.
However, there is some conflicting information. For instance, CBS News reported finding no evidence that the Department of the Interior spent or planned to spend $830 million on a survey or single contract, and no such contract appeared on DOGE’s public "wall of receipts." This discrepancy may stem from the contract being canceled early in the process—before it was fully implemented or officially recorded. Despite this, the consistent reporting from official sources, including mainstream outlets citing the $830 million figure and the Department’s own acknowledgment of its cancellation, supports the conclusion that an attempt was made.
Thus, while the contract never fully took effect and was terminated before signature, the planning and negotiation stages constitute an attempt. Therefore, the answer is yes—the Department of the Interior did attempt a contract for $830 million to conduct surveys.
Super well done! We sorely need this info.