Anne Bredemann

Associate Editor

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2026

On February 14, the Trump administration fired approximately 1,000 National Park Service (NPS) employees as part of a program led by Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is designed to eliminate federal jobs and to cut federal spending. The President did not announce the firings publicly, but Democratic Congressmen have confirmed and denounced the layoffs in a letter written by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Angus King and signed by twenty other senators. Since then, some NPS positions have been reinstated, but the situation raises real concerns about the future of conservation in the United States, as well as individuals and communities whose livelihoods depend on the economic well-being of our parks.

Prior to these layoffs, officials at the NPS testified that the agency was already understaffed. In a statement from July 2023, Michael Reynolds, an official for the National Park Service, explains that the Service has already been dealing with staffing and funding shortages over the past few years: “Closures or limited hours of visitor facilities due to staffing shortages is another access issue the NPS is working to address. Our existing staff is spread more thinly than in years past. Between FY 2011 and FY 2022, the total number of NPS full-time employees decreased by approximately 3,400 or 15%.” Investments from the Great American Outdoors Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act have allowed the NPS to begin addressing critical staffing needs in the parks, but Congress is expected to repeal these Acts. This, coupled with the DOGE’s latest layoffs, is highly concerning for National Park officials and staff. Several parks have already announced reduced hours and operations, such as Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado, due specifically to staffing issues.

Environmentalists’ calls for action

Officials within the NPS express sadness and frustration with the recent layoffs, since the elimination of positions may impact park protection and visitor safety. For example, some eliminated jobs include search-and-rescue staff and campsite supervisors, who would be responsible for ensuring that visitors have sufficient supplies and emergency medical attention, if necessary. Other concerns include longer lines to access parks, unclean bathroom facilities, and trash pileups. Seasonal workers were particularly targeted, which NPS officials worry will cause further chaos during summer, which is typically the busiest season for many parks.

In the weeks since, people have organized hundreds of protests across the country, calling for Congress to take action; 19 states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits, alleging that the mass firings are illegal. As of March 13, two federal judges have ruled against the Trump Administration and ordered thousands of fired NPS workers to be reinstated. U.S. District Judge James Bredar wrote, “In this case, the government conducted massive layoffs, but it gave no advance notice… It claims it wasn’t required to because, it says, it dismissed each one of these thousands of probationary employees for ‘performance’ or other individualized reasons. On the record before the Court, this isn’t true. There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively.” The Trump Administration has filed appeals and stated in a White House press release that the rulings are attempts to encroach on executive power and are unconstitutional.

Future of the national parks?

Last month, the Trump Administration also nominated Kathleen Sgamma, the president of an oil industry trade group Western Energy Alliance, as Bureau of Land Management director. Sgamma has for years been calling for fewer drilling restrictions on public lands. Her nomination coupled with the recent layoffs concern environmentalists who worry that she will hand over public lands to oil and gas companies for drilling.

When it comes to National Parks, opinion polls have found that Democrats and Republicans alike appreciate their legacy and actually want their tax dollars to go towards the protection, maintenance, and conservation of these national treasures. If the DOGE is committed to promoting efficiency and productivity, then they must reinstate these rangers who have dedicated their lives to the well-being of America’s parks. Their work helps to ensure that future generations can walk the same trails, breath the same clean air, and experience the same sense of wonder of untouched wilderness that humans have for millennia.