President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have not spared the country’s national parks from their purge of tens of thousands of government workers.
They’ve laid off thousands of workers from the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. They’ve also instituted spending freezes, delayed the hiring of seasonal workers, and started the process of selling off government buildings, including 34 on public lands.
Now, Trump is eyeing even more cuts to the National Park Service.
The White House now plans to eliminate 30% of payroll at the agency, The Hill reported this week. That wouldn’t necessarily lead to a 30% reduction in national park staff, as some workers earn more than others, according to the Washington, D.C.-based publication.
However, sources familiar with the planned cuts said they would still be felt at the National Park Service and could impact those planning to visit the parks this summer. In the short term, the reduction would likely lead to losses of more park rangers and janitors. In the long term, it could put conservation projects at risk, according to former parks officials.
Trump and his administration have repeatedly argued that deep cuts to the government workforce are necessary to bring down the national debt. Parks advocates point out that NPS’s annual funding, at $3.2 billion in 2024, accounts for less than 0.15% of the federal budget.
Conservation Groups Sue Over Layoffs
Since Trump first began his firing frenzy in mid-February, the legality of the layoffs has been questioned by conservation groups, labor unions, and parks advocates. The firings of so many federal workers have resulted in ongoing court battles between the White House and federal judges questioning the legality of the layoffs.
One of those judges ordered the administration to reinstate thousands of fired workers on Thursday, CNN reported. It wasn’t immediately clear if the Trump administration would comply with that order or attempt an appeal.
But Trump is also facing legal challenges elsewhere. A coalition of various organizations filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump created the new agency and put Musk, the richest person in the world, in charge of trimming the federal government.
The lawsuit, filed in district court in Washington, D.C., last week, accuses Musk and DOGE of “acting beyond their power to slash federal funding, dismantle federal agencies and fire federal employees.” Groups behind the joint lawsuit include The Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, Asian Pacific American Advocates, and the Japanese American Citizens League. Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit legal organization, is representing all four organizations.
“Only Trump and Musk would try to threaten America’s best idea,” Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement. “We are taking DOGE to court to defend Americans’ ability to safely and freely access the landscapes that unite us.”
Representatives at the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, didn’t immediately respond to a GearJunkie request for comment. However, Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox News that he’s “completely embracing the DOGE effort.” Burgum also said he’s reinstating the 5,000 seasonal park jobs that were initially rescinded by the Trump administration.
“We did post last week 5,000 summer jobs,” Burgum told Fox News in February. “So, if someone is looking for one of the greatest experiences of your life and want to spend the summer working at a national park, we’re hiring.”
However, the website USA Jobs, which lists open positions in the federal government, showed only 175 jobs within the entire Department of the Interior as of this writing.
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