Trump proposes 3,000 park staff cuts

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposes cutting nearly 3,000 National Park Service positions as parks prepare for the 2026 summer travel season. (doi.gov) (latimes.com) The Interior Department’s budget document says the Park Service would have 13,119 full-time-equivalent staff in 2027 and a total budget of about $2.2 billion. (doi.gov) The National Parks Conservation Association said the proposal would cut $736 million, or more than 25%, from park operations, the account that pays for day-to-day staffing and services. (npca.org) The staffing plan lands after a year of attrition. The National Parks Conservation Association says the agency has lost more than 4,000 employees, nearly a quarter of its workforce, since January 2025. (npca.org) That reduction is colliding with heavy demand. The same group says park visitation rose 19% since 2011 and reached more than 323 million visits in 2025, with 26 parks setting attendance records last year. (npca.org) Recent reporting from the Los Angeles Times described two-hour entrance waits at Yosemite, an unopened visitor center at North Cascades, and water shut off at two Death Valley campgrounds amid staffing strain. (latimes.com) At an April 23 Senate hearing, lawmakers from both parties pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the proposal. Senator Patty Murray said the request would cut parks facilities, operations and maintenance by 38%. (alaskapublic.org) Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said federal lands cannot be managed without enough personnel, even as she backed some of the administration’s energy priorities. (alaskapublic.org) The same budget blueprint also includes a $10 billion “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” for work in Washington, D.C., a line item that drew criticism from senators at the hearing. (doi.gov) (alaskapublic.org) Congress will decide whether any of the proposed cuts become law. For now, the budget sets up a fight over whether parks can handle another busy summer with fewer people on the payroll. (npca.org) (alaskapublic.org)