Congress has been holding hearings this week on the proposed budget for the National Park Service (NPS). As you likely know, last year the Administration halted hiring to replace departing staff and encouraged early retirement that led Park Rangers, historians, archeologists to leave the Service. There were also staff without seniority who were fired. If you think that the cuts were finished last year, the Interior Department released its proposal for 2027’s budget. It is only just beginning. You can find the Budget here.
In 2025, the staff at the NPS was 18,541. Right now the number of staff employed by the NPS is supposed to be 16,039, the lowest number of Full Time Equivalents in this decade. There will be a 30% reduction in staff to just 13,119 personnel in 2027 if this is approved. When we look at where the parks will have to reduce staff, the problem is even worse. The cuts are not being evenly divided among all job categories.
Resource Stewardship, which according to the NPS “encompasses resource management operations that provide for the
protection and conservation of unique natural, cultural, and historical features of the National Park System,” will see staff cut from 1,787 people down to 942. That is a 48% reduction in staff.
Next is the reduction in Visitor Services. This is how the NPS defines this category: “Visitor Services includes educational and interpretive programs to enhance the visitor’s experience. It also supports efficient management of commercial services for the benefit of visitors and the protection of resources.” This category has 2,007 people working. It will be reduced to 1,550. That is a 33% drop in staffing in this category.
On the other hand, Park Police will get an increase in funding enabling them to hire more officers. As you know, in the last year the Park Police has been involved in working with ICE against immigrants, something that was unknown in prior years. This is how the Administration defends this increase saying it will be used “to protect against drug use, unpermitted demonstrations, vandalism, and public intoxication, and
the maximization of immigration enforcement to apprehend and deport dangerous illegal aliens.”
If you want to see the parks natural and historical features preserved, if you want Rangers, historians, and naturalists to explain to your kids and grandkids why our parks are so special, please get in touch with your Congressional Representative and your two Senators and tell them that you want them to defend our parks. You can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and express your views. If you are unsure of your Representative, you can use this tool to find out.
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