By Devarrick Turner Knoxville News Sentinel Updated Dec. 11, 2025, 10:04 a.m. ET Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hiring for 2026. But after 2025 saw staffing and budget cuts to national parks across the country and the longest federal government shutdown in history, what’s ahead for the country’s most visited national park in
America’s National Parks at Breaking Point as Staff Cuts, Budget Slashes Threaten Safety and Preservation
Australian Broadcast Corporation Once ‘America’s best idea’, National Parks are reaching their breaking point US national parks are being forced to stay open despite operating on a “bare-bones” crew after cuts to staff and funding. Rangers say they can’t sustain it. By Maddy Morwood From the towering sandstone canyons in Zion, to the Rocky Mountain
Park Advocates Warn of Dire Consequences from Staffing Cuts: Report Highlights Risks to Visitor Services, Safety, and Conservation
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, in collaboration with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR), and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), have released an analysis detailing the real-world consequences of further staffing cuts, from slashed visitor services and delayed maintenance to weakened wildfire response and
Oppose Onshore Oil and Gas Riders in the FY26 House Interior Appropriations Bill
July 21, 2025 The Honorable Tom Cole Chair House Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives H-307 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Rosa DeLauro Ranking Member House Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives 1036 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Re: Oppose Onshore Oil and Gas Riders in the FY26 House
Coalition Joins Over 260 Organizations in Opposing Elimination of NPS Community Assistance Programs
July 11, 2025 The Honorable Mike Simpson Chair Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies House Committee on Appropriations 2358-B Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Tom Cole Chair House Committee on Appropriations H-307 The Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Chellie Pingree Ranking Member Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
House Appropriations Bill Would Decimate National Parks And Deepen An Existing Crisis That Is Already Impacting Visitors And Parks Safety
House Appropriations Bill Would Decimate National Parks And Deepen An Existing Crisis That Is Already Impacting Visitors And Parks Safety For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Contact: Doug Gordon | do**@***************es.com Today, a key House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee will mark-up the Fiscal Year 2026 bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which would
Coalition Joins Opposition to Oil and Gas Provisions in Budget Reconciliation
June 28, 2025 The Honorable John Thune Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Democratic Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Oppose Oil and Gas Provisions in Budget Reconciliation Dear Leader Thune, Leader Schumer, and Members of the Senate, Our nation’s public lands are irreplaceable. They provide essential
Coalition Rallies Media to Defend National Parks Amid Trump-Era Threats and Budget Cuts
From its first days, the Trump Administration has threatened a number of drastic cuts to national parks and public lands more broadly. They have slashed staffing, attempted the largest ever reduction in the park service budget, and tried to sell off millions of acres of public lands – all while forcing the parks to remain
Coalition Urges Rejection of President’s FY26 Budget Proposal Slashing Over $1.2 Billion from NPS
June 13, 2025 Dear Members of Congress, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, and other organizations are alarmed by the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget that proposes over $1.2 billion in cuts to the National Park Service (NPS) and urge you to reject it. If enacted, it would be
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Calls President’s Budget “Deeply Problematic And Dangerous”
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Calls President’s Budget “Deeply Problematic And Dangerous” In response to the President’s budget proposal for the Department of Interior, which would cut 33% of the Department of Interior budget, including a 36% cut to the National Park Service budget, Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National
Coalition Letter: The Historic Preservation Fund Needs Full and Robust Funding
The Honorable Lisa Murkowski Chair Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Jeff Merkley Ranking Member Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Mike Simpson Chair Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States House of Representatives Washington,
Retired National Park Leaders Raise the Alarm Before Start of Summer Travel Season: Cuts to Public Lands Will Impact Californians
May 22, 2025 Retired National Park Leaders Raise the Alarm Before Start of Summer Travel Season: Cuts to Public Lands Will Impact Californians California — Today, retired national park leaders are calling attention to how cuts to public lands will impact California residents this summer. Over the last several months, the federal administration has severely
Coalition Sends Letter in Support of Full Funding for National Heritage Areas
March 11, 2025 The Honorable Lisa Murkowski Chair Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Jeff Merkley Ranking Member Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Mike Simpson Chair Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee United States House
Coalition Joins 495 Groups Protesting Recent Mass Firing of Federal Employees Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service
February 28, 2025 United States Senators and Representatives, On behalf of our members, supporters, and volunteer stewards, we write with significant concerns regarding the recent mass firing of federal employees still within their probationary periods, particularly those individuals who had been employed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
Member Op-Ed: They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know opening the Going to-the- Sun Road, clearing trails, opening backcountry sites and facilities and preparing visitor centers may be delayed BY CHIP WEBER & JEFF MOW FEBRUARY 25, 2025 Much has been written and broadcast recently regarding the impacts of the Trump administration and particularly the Department of
Coalition Joins Over 260 Groups in Opposition to House Budget Resolution
United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 February 24, 2025 Dear Representatives, As you prepare to take up a budget resolution as the first step in the reconciliation process, our organizations from the democracy, good government, labor, immigration, energy, environment, tax, budget, health, gender justice, human needs and other sectors representing millions of people
USA Today: How National Park Service layoffs could stretch some parks to their limits
How National Park Service layoffs could stretch some parks to their limits By Eve Chen National parks have not been spared in the wave of federal government layoffs, and that could impact park visits heading into their busy season. “We could be putting several park units in very bad, sticky situations where they can’t manage
SFGATE.com: U.S. senators issue dire warning for national parks
U.S. senators issue dire warning for national parks By Ashley Harrell, National Parks Bureau Chief Feb 7, 2025 Twenty-two democratic and independent U.S. senators sent a letter Friday morning to newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum imploring him to reconsider drastic measures taken by the Trump administration to reduce the workforce of
Coalition Supports Letter Sent to Secretary Burgum on NPS Staffing Concerns
Coalition Supports Letter Sent to Secretary Burgum on NPS Staffing Concerns The Coalition issued a statement of support for a letter sent today, calling on Secretary Burgum to, “immediately reissue seasonal employment offers for the National Park Service, officially rescind damaging and short-sighted deferred resignation and early retirement offers, and to instead work to
Coalition Joins Comments Urging Congress to include Federal Public Lands’ Considerable Needs in the Disaster Relief Package
Senator Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Senator Patty Murray, Chair, Committee on Appropriations Senator Jeff Merkley, Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies Congresswoman Tom Cole, Chair, Committee on Appropriations Congressman Mike Simpson, Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies Congressman Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House Congressman Hakeem Jeffries,
Coalition and Over 60 Environmental Organizations Urge Congress to Advance Bipartisan Funding Increases in FY 2025 with No Poison Pill Riders
November 21, 2024 United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives Dear Members of Congress, The 64 undersigned groups write to you today to urge you to follow the Senate Appropriations Committee’s lead and advance bipartisan, sensible funding increases for environmental programs in Fiscal Year 2025 free of new poison pill policy riders or attacks on
Coalition Shares Comments on Debt Ceiling Legislation
Debt Ceiling Agreement Stands To Be Damaging To National Park Service By Kurt Repanshek – June 1st, 2023 Proposed legislation to lift the nation’s debt ceiling stands to be damaging to the National Park Service if passed in its current form, according to a budget analyst for the National Parks Conservation Association. The agreement
Coalition Joins NPT for a Conversation About the Debt Ceiling Crisis and National Parks
National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 222 Debt Ceiling Crisis And The Parks By Jess Repanshek – May 14th, 2023 While spring is slowly giving way to summer in many parts of the country, with visitors gaining more and more access to the National Park System, a stand-off in Washington over the country’s debt ceiling
Statement for the Record of Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council to The National Parks Committee on The President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the National Park Service
Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Subcommittee on National Parks Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate The President’s Budget Request for the National Park Service for Fiscal Year 2024 May 10, 2023 Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines, and members
Coalition Submits Statement for the Record To Senate Committee on Appropriations Regarding FY 2024 NPS Appropriations
Statement for the Record Michael B. Murray Chair of the Executive Council, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies United States Senate FY 2024 Appropriations for the National Park Service, Department of the Interior April 10, 2023 Chairman Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and members of