The Trump administration will keep most national parks open to the public if the government shuts down Wednesday, according to two people briefed on the plan.
With congressional leaders still gridlocked on a deal to fund the government ahead of a midnight deadline, the majority of the National Park Service’s roughly 16,000 employees are expected to be placed on furlough starting Wednesday. But the Trump administration would tap recreation fees to pay for skeleton crews of staff at many sites, said the two people who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plan.
The administration’s plan to keep most park locations accessible to the public echoes the strategy the first Trump administration used during a prolonged government shutdown in 2018 and 2019. The Interior Department’s use of park fees to fund operations was later found to be unlawful by a Government Accountability Office legal opinion.
Conservation groups and former park leaders have urged the Trump administration to shutter parks if the government shuts down, saying it leaves the parks vulnerable to damage when there is insufficient staff to interact with the public.
