Trump proposes cutting nearly 3,000 park jobs
- President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget would shrink the National Park Service to 13,119 staff, eliminating nearly 3,000 positions across the agency. - The Interior Department also proposed a $736 million cut to park operations, while senators from both parties warned the reductions would strain parks. - Congress rejected similar cuts in fiscal 2026 and ordered staffing safeguards, but the administration is trying again. (doi.gov)
President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget would cut nearly 3,000 National Park Service jobs as parks head into the summer travel season. (doi.gov) (alaskapublic.org) The Department of the Interior’s budget says the Park Service would have 13,119 full-time-equivalent staff in 2027. The same document sets the agency’s total budget request at $2.2 billion. (doi.gov) Park operations would take a $736 million cut, according to park advocates tracking the White House plan and lawmakers questioning Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Sen. Patty Murray said the proposal cuts parks facilities, operations and maintenance by 38%. (npca.org) (alaskapublic.org) The budget fight lands after a year of attrition inside the Park Service. The National Parks Conservation Association said the agency had already lost 24% of its permanent staff since January 2025. (npca.org) That staffing decline has shown up in day-to-day operations. At Yosemite, employees told SFGATE this spring that entrance stations had gone unstaffed for parts of some days and, at times, for full days or multiple days. (sfgate.com) Interior says it is trying to protect public-facing roles rather than cut them first. Burgum told House appropriators on April 20 that his priority for the Park Service workforce is filling public-facing positions. (federalnewsnetwork.com) Burgum also told lawmakers there were “no plans for RIFs,” or reductions in force, at Interior after the department offered another round of buyouts and early retirement incentives. Federal News Network reported Interior had previously told a court it planned to eliminate more than 2,000 positions last fall. (federalnewsnetwork.com) Lawmakers from both parties have pushed back. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said energy and land management goals still require “the people there,” and Murray said the Park Service recipe in the budget points toward weaker maintenance and stewardship. (alaskapublic.org) Congress blocked similar Trump administration cuts in the fiscal 2026 spending package and told Interior to maintain adequate staffing for the Park Service’s legal duties. The 2027 proposal now sets up another fight over whether parks can stay fully staffed as visitation rises. (federalnewsnetwork.com)
