If National Park employees are furloughed due to a government shutdown, a coalition of former NPS superintendents want the parks to close, saying keeping them open would be “reckless” and would put visitors and park resources at risk.
Congress has until midnight on Tuesday to agree on a short-term funding bill.
Republicans are pushing Democrats to support a stopgap bill that would keep federal agencies open through Nov. 21. Democrats, however, are reluctant to do so, wanting to use the opportunity to boost healthcare funding decimated by the Big Ugly Bill.
Forty former National Park superintendents sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgam on Thursday citing damage to parks and visitor safety as reasons to shut down the parks.
“We urge you to prioritize both conservation and visitor safety and protect our national parks during a potential shutdown, and into the future. If sufficient staff aren’t there, visitors shouldn’t be either,” the letter states.
“Past shutdowns in which gates remained open with limited staff have hurt our parks: Iconic symbols cut down and vandalized, trash piled up, habitats destroyed and visitor safety jeopardized.
“If you don’t act now, history is not just doomed to repeat itself, the damage could in fact be much worse.”
Budget cuts and staff reductions since Trump took office have already put a serious strain on parks.
“This summer, our parks were pushed to the brink by budget cuts and staff reductions. If national parks are to be open to visitors when National Park employees are furloughed, these nascent issues from the summer season are sure to erupt.”
Contingency plan on park sites
The Department of Interior’s most recent contingency plan, in the event of a shutdown, seems to agree with the superintendents’ assessment.
According to the March 2024 document, NPS sites would close in the event of a lapse in appropriations. Some areas that are physically accessible by the public would face reduced visitor services.
In other words, parks with lookouts, trails, campgrounds and open-air memorials would remain accessible to the public, and funding may be requested for things like maintaining restrooms, trash collection, law enforcement and emergency operations, according to the document.
The policy shows that approximately 68 percent of agency employees would be furloughed, and employees would have half a day to close the parks and shut down operations.
Furloughed employees, the document said, should monitor public broadcasts and the Internet for any resolution, and are expected to work the next workday after such.
Leaf-peeping season under way at National Parks
In 2024, National Park sites had 331 million visitors. In October 2024, there were 28.4 million visitors to national parks, many to take in the breathtaking colors that the fall season usually delivers.
The NPS recommends several parks for leaf-peeping including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park.
Some activities by NPS employees may continue under a government shutdown: law enforcement and emergency response, fire suppression for active fires or areas under a fire watch, support services like human resources and budget and finance.
If a lapse happens, cancellation and refund procedures are posted on Recreation.gov
White House: No plans to negotiate
Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday afternoon.
Trump cancelled a similar meeting last week with the two Democratic leaders.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) challenged Trump on the cancellation in a social media post.
“Trump’s supposed to be the greatest dealmaker. Why won’t he even sit down with Democrats?” he wrote.
The blame game
White House officials have confirmed the meeting but said the Republicans have no plans to negotiate.
“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
Trump continued to push proven lies including that the Democrats want “free healthcare for illegal aliens,” “force taxpayers to fund transgender surgery for minors” and “have dead people on the Medicaid roles.”
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He said what the Democrats want for the country would “lead to the destruction of America.”
“To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for,” Trump wrote.
A memo from the White House, shared with Politico, continued the blame game, saying the Democrats were responsible for any potential shutdown and that they have “insane demands” including $1 trillion in spending.
In reality, Democrats want to see an extension to the Affordable Care Act tax credits that have helped provide health insurance to millions of people since COVID-19. The credits are set to expire soon, and the politicians believe that the American people want them to fight on this key issue that will affect primarily low- to middle-income households.
“Our view going into the meeting is that we want to find bipartisan common ground, to find a spending agreement that avoids a government shutdown and actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their economic well-being,” Jeffries said.
“Notices are going to go out in a matter of days, and it’s going to be a shock to the system of everyday Americans who are already struggling to get by,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week”. “The challenge that we have in this particular instance is that several times over the last few months, Republicans in the House have had the opportunity to vote with Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and they’ve repeatedly and consistently declined to do it.”
The Senate voted Sept. 19 on a measure to fund the government through Nov. 21; it failed by a 44-48 vote. The continuing resolution was passed by the House of Representatives.
Trump: ‘A shutdown means the president is weak’
Government shutdowns are not a new phenomenon; there have been 14 partial shutdowns since 1981, most lasting a few days.
It should be noted that Trump is on the record on the issue; in a viral social media post that has now been removed, Trump responded to a government shutdown during the Obama administration in 2013. That standoff was primarily due to the Affordable Care Act.
“A shutdown falls on the President’s lack of leadership. He can’t even control his own party and get people together in a room,” Trump allegedly wrote. “A shutdown means the president is weak.”
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Crystal Graham
