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The National Park Service has lost nearly 25% of its permanent workforce since January 2025. Park staff are being pulled from the field and supporting offices, visitors are experiencing long lines to enter some parks, and critical maintenance and research are falling behind.
In April 2026, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced a new Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) and voluntary early retirement options as part of a "strategic initiative" to reduce the agency's headcount and modernize operations. This is a transparent attempt to push out even more of our most experienced park stewards in the name of efficiency.
It takes tens of thousands of NPS employees to help protect over 400 units of the National Park System Park staff help to maintain our nation’s most precious natural and historic places, educate the public, gather critical data that helps parks thrive, and ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience.
Urge your Members of Congress to do everything in their power to stop any further National Park Service staffing cuts and restore the thousands of positions lost.
This isn’t just about what’s happening to the parks now. It’s about the long-term damage these decisions could have to the future of the National Park System.

Stop Further NPS Staffing Cuts and Restore Staff

As someone who loves our national parks and your constituent, I’m urging you to contact Secretary Burgum and ask him to stop any further National Park Service staffing cuts and restore the thousands of positions lost over the last year. NPS employees are the backbone of our national parks and help to  ensure these places and stories are protected, and visitors have safe and unforgettable experiences.

I’ve read that the National Park Service has lost nearly 25% of its permanent staff since January 2025. And that’s on top of parks already being severely understaffed due to chronic underfunding. Secretary Burgum has been clear with Congress that additional staffing cuts are still being considered.

We saw impacts last summer from the severe reductions in permanent staff and this spring and summer will likely draw even more visitors due to the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. National park staff ensure park visitor centers remain open; trails and campgrounds are maintained, and provide educational programs that connect millions of people every year to nature and their history.

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