National Park Service to exempt certain officials from Trump federal hiring freeze

The National Park Service plans to exempt certain law enforcement officials from President Donald Trump‘s federal hiring freeze.

The news is encouraging for U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and other Democrats in Congress that law enforcement rangers and public safety dispatchers will be safe from Trump’s executive order.

“President Trump’s hiring freeze on the law enforcement officers needed to keep Virginia’s National Parks safe jeopardized our parks’ ability to host visitors — and in turn posed a serious threat to the local economies that rely on them. That’s why we quickly wrote to the Administration urging them to exempt these positions and other seasonal staff from the freeze. We’re relieved that the Administration is heeding our call, and will continue to push for additional exemptions for National Park Service employees ahead of the summer peak season,” Warner and Kaine said.

In 2023, Virginia attracted more than 23 million park visitors, which supported 21,000 jobs and generated more than $2 billion in economic output in the Commonwealth.