Funding Cuts to National Parks

This year, the federal government has made drastic cuts to the National Park system. Permanent staffing at the National Park Service has dropped 24% since the Trump administration took office due to firings, layoffs, early retirement and a proposed cut of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

Parks supporters say the changes are straining workers. Kristen Brengel, the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, is concerned.

"It's the biggest threat to the existence of our national parks that has ever happened," said Brengel. "So this is not a recipe for success for the park service. It's a recipe for disaster."

The current federal administration says funding and staffing cuts are a workforce restructuring to increase efficiency and lower tax costs. In an email, the Office of Public Affairs of the National Parks Service gave a statement saying: “Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, we are eliminating wasteful programs, cutting unnecessary costs, and ensuring every dollar serves a clear purpose.”

Despite the cuts and threats of privatization, Brengel said many staff have not been speaking out about the conditions at the parks for fear of losing their jobs.

However, she said the NPCA and many other organizations are fighting to keep parks alive and support park employees.

"Generation after generation has protected these places," Brengel said, “and now we're dismantling the park system, and we're taking away the staff and the people who preserve these places. That's not what anyone in America wants. I just don't believe it. I think we care deeply about these places”.

This interview ran on the What’s What Podcast on August 5, 2025.