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President Trump Donates First 3 Months Of Salary To Park Service

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is donating the first three months of his salary to the National Park Service.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer handed an oversized check for $78,333.32 to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke during Monday's briefing.

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White House press secretary Sean Spicer (R) gave Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (L) the first quarter check of US President Donald Trump's salary which he donated to the National Park Service as Tyrone Brandyburg (C), Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Superindendant, looks on during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 3, 2017 (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

The billionaire businessman turned president had promised to forgo his presidential salary.

By law he must be paid, so he is donating the money. Taxpayers can write off such donations, potentially lowering their income taxes.

Zinke said he's "thrilled" at the president's decision to give money to an Interior agency, something he says Trump informed him about Sunday night. He said he will use the money to help on long-deferred maintenance projects on the nation's 25 battlefields. Outstanding maintenance projects on those sites amount to about $229 million, Zinke said.

Trump's has proposed cutting 12 percent from the Interior Department's budget.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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