The Trump administration called for eliminating nearly 3,000 National Park Service employee positions as part of its latest budget proposal, intensifying staffing concerns among park advocates after a year of downsizing at the agency.
The proposal, part of the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget blueprint, would significantly reduce the workforce at an agency responsible for overseeing national parks and historic sites. Overall, the budget plan calls for the Interior Department to gain 4,507 full-time-equivalent positions — a figure that represents a combination of full-time and part-time employees for budgeting purposes — compared to current staffing levels. The increase, despite losses in individual bureaus, is largely due to a large increase in fire personnel at the newly created Wildland Fire Service.
While NPS would face the biggest staffing reductions, with 2,920 full-time-equivalent positions lost, other agencies would also see substantial cuts. The Bureau of Land Management is envisioned to lose 2,000 full-time-equivalent positions, and the U.S. Geological Survey would see slighter lower cuts. At the same time, a new wildfire agency created by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would add more than 13,000 positions.
The reductions are part of a broader plan outlined by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to shrink the Interior Department budget by 13 percent.
