"Congress must heed the will of the American people and come together to fund parks so they can remain open, staffed and protected." - Kristen Brengel, NPCA's SVP of Government Affairs
Washington, DC – Congress has reached a budget agreement to bring an end to the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history. The bill maintains current federal funding levels through January 30, 2026, for most federal agencies, including the National Park Service. Under this agreement, all 433 national parks will fully reopen in accordance with their standard operating schedules, and thousands of furloughed park employees will receive their backpay and return to work. The bill also includes key provisions that prevent the administration from moving forward with mass staff termination plans until the end of January. Any further staff firings would decimate the Park Service. Congress now has roughly 11 weeks to reach a longer-term spending deal that can support the National Park Service and its dedicated staff.
Uncertainty remains as ongoing funding disagreements threaten massive cuts to the Park Service’s budget, which a strong bipartisan majority of Americans oppose according to a recent NPCA national poll. In May, the administration proposed slashing over $1 billion from the Park Service budget, which could force the closure of at least 350 national parks sites across the country. And while the House Appropriations Committee’s funding bill rejected the administration’s most outrageous provisions, it would still cut $176 million (more than 6%) from the Park Service’s operations budget, threatening the loss of thousands more park employees critical to park operations.
By contrast, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bill includes flat funding for the operation of the National Park System, rejecting dramatic cuts proposed by both the Trump administration and House of Representatives. Instead, it holds funding steady to support staffing, operations and public access across the Park System. The bill also includes key provisions to hire urgently needed Park Service staff, helping restore the agency’s capacity to protect our parks.
Even before the shutdown, the Park Service already lost over 25% of its permanent workforce since January, severely straining its ability to care for our nation’s most treasured places. Park staff were being pulled from the field, visitor centers were closing, and critical maintenance and research were falling behind. Despite the mounting impacts to parks, court-ordered documents revealed Secretary Burgum’s plans to slash thousands of positions at the Department of the Interior, including hundreds of National Park Service staff.
A strong bipartisan majority of Americans reject recent and proposed cuts to our national parks. In fact, only 16% of Americans support the Trump administration’s continued staffing cuts to the National Park Service, and only 12% back the proposed massive budget reduction for the agency. The Park Service can’t uphold its mission to protect park resources and values for future generations without the dedicated people who protect and care for them. The will of the American people should not be ignored.
Statement by Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
“Despite clear warnings that keeping parks open without staff would put visitors and resources at risk, Secretary Burgum ignored calls to close them. For 43 days, many national parks were left open, vulnerable and unprotected.
“The National Park Service, already pushed to its breaking point after losing 25% of permanent staff, is left to pick up the pieces. Furloughed park staff now face the daunting task of returning to parks to assess and address the damage, a process that could take months. And since parks were unable to collect millions of dollars in entrance and recreational fees during the shutdown, long-term impacts could include significant delays to construction projects and other essential visitor services. Meanwhile, park partners across the country who diverted scarce resources to help keep parks operational now have depleted budgets for vital projects and programs, unsure if they will ever fully recover those funds.
“Even before the shutdown, national parks were already feeling the strain, forced to cancel ranger programs, close visitor centers, and halt essential maintenance and research. Secretary Burgum’s plans for mass staff terminations would only deepen the crisis, threatening the ability of parks to operate safely and effectively. These plans aren’t just reckless, they’re deeply unpopular. In fact, a recent poll NPCA commissioned showed that across party lines, a majority of Americans reject these senseless cuts and firmly support the dedicated park staff who protect our most cherished places.
“After 43 long days, thousands of furloughed Park Service employees can finally return to work. But this funding bill offers our national parks and park staff only a short-term reprieve. In just a few weeks, park staff and visitors could face another shutdown, which might affect the hiring of seasonal rangers for next spring and summer. Congress must heed the will of the American people and come together to fund parks so they can remain open, staffed and protected.“
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org
