It’s been a tough week for the nation’s park system. Massive layoffs are occurring throughout the federal government this week as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to drastically reduce the federal workforce. Standing beside Elon Musk, an unelected official granted authority by Trump to dismantle parts of the U.S. government, Trump directed all federal agencies to identify employees who could be laid off immediately.
That directive has resulted in thousands of workers losing their jobs this week. So far, that includes 3,475 workers at the U.S. Forest Service, according to union officials who spoke with GearJunkie on Friday. It also includes 1,000 workers at the National Park Service, according to a Friday report from the Washington Post.
National park officials from Yosemite to Denali have sounded the alarm over fears that the country’s parks system, already understaffed, cannot handle the strain.
“This is what they said they were going to do, and they are doing it,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, a nonprofit. “It’s going to be devastating not just for the folks let go but for anyone who lives near these parks. And if you’re planning on visiting national parks this summer — it’s going to be bad.”
Neither the U.S. Forest Service nor the National Park Service returned requests for comment Friday about the layoffs.
U.S. Forest Service Layoffs: Questionable Legality



More Layoffs Abound
- The Department of the Interior, which manages the National Park Service, laid off 2,300 workers, Reuters reported.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed more than 1,000 employees.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau laid off 70-100 employees, NPR reported.
- The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention will lay off about a tenth of its workforce, or 1,300 employees, the Associated Press reported.