"What I'm saying is that generally the patrons at parks are seniors and when the majority of your customers are getting a discount you have to increase the price for everyone else. "
This sounds like private business thinking and in my experience with the National Parks, USFS, etc., I've never had any feeling they were run like a business or that there was any relationship tieing permit fees and permit costs together. This current change seems similar. A congressperson wanted money for a pet something - no doubt something a major donor favored - so looked around to see what he could get money from.