On February 14th, over 1,000 National Parks employees were laid off with no warning or direct reason. These layoffs are part of President Trump’s push to improve government efficiency and shrink the size of the federal government. According to the White House, “the government wastes billions of dollars each year on duplicative programs and frivolous expenditures that fail to align with American values or address the needs of the American people.”
National Parks are an incredibly important part of the United States. In 2023, national parks generated $55.6 billion in economic activity and more than 325 million people visit the parks every year. That is almost the size of the entire population of the United States. These parks are widely visited and respected not only by United States citizens, but by citizens of other countries as well. They draw people in, but they cannot do that if they are not open and staffed.
Many parks have already announced shorter hours, less operating days per week, shorter campsite seasons, and issues with reservation systems will get worse as the season picks up. National Parks see the largest amount of tourists within the late spring and summer months, and were already 20% understaffed PRIOR to these layoffs. Guided tours will be cancelled, some parks may not be open every day even in peak season, and all of the NPS workers will be stretched even thinner than before.
On a personal note, this is exactly what I expected to happen with a second Trump presidency. His administration and his supporters have made it clear that not only do they not believe in climate change, they don’t believe in anything to do with protecting the environment. If caring about the environment is too woke, Trump supporters should stay out of national parks. Your president did this, you can pay the consequences.
Sources: The White House, NPR, The Washington Post
Mikaela Gantz
Editor-in-Chief
