Since President Trump returned to the White House and cut government employees, the National Park Service has seen a sharp increase in vacancies, leaving popular locations across understaffed during what is predicted to be one of the service’s busiest seasons.
According to a new report from the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit dedicated to park system protection, the park service, which oversees 433 sites and 85 million acres, has lost almost a quarter of its permanent staff since the start of the Trump administration.
Additionally, the agency is significantly behind schedule in hiring temporary workers to help with the busy summer season, which is already well under way.
One of Mr. Trump’s first moves was to fire 1,000 National Park Service employees. Under pressure to retire or resign, thousands of others have left on their own volition. The workforce reductions are a part of a broader government-wide initiative to reduce the number of federal employees and remove programs—and sometimes entire agencies.
Theresa Pierno, the leader of the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement on Thursday that national parks cannot operate effectively at the staffing levels this administration has reduced them to. And things are just going to get worse.
A request for comment was not answered by the parks agency.
However, the cuts continue. In comparison to its 2025 budget, the administration’s 2026 budget request was around one-third smaller.
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