***VIDEO FROM ROUNDTABLE HERE***
Washington, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator Angus King (I-ME) held a virtual roundtable with public lands employees who were recently illegally fired as part of President Trump and Elon Musk’s dangerous assault on the federal workforce. The speakers all underscored how Trump and Musk’s staffing cuts will severely harm our public lands and nearby small businesses and communities.
Merkley, Heinrich, and King spoke with Lydia Jones, a fired National Park Service probationary employee who worked at Badlands National Park in South Dakota; Bailey Langley, a fired Forest Service probationary employee who worked in the Blue Mountains in Oregon; Nick Streit, a small business owner in northern New Mexico who depends on public lands for his business; and Jeff Mow, a retired National Park Service Superintendent of Glacier National Park in Montana.
“Oregonians and Americans treasure our public lands, but Trump and Musk are creating totally preventable staffing shortages at them. These reckless staffing cuts threaten to close parks, block access to recreation, leave forests untreated during wildfire season, and many other dangers,” said Senator Merkley, Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee. “Dedicated public servants aren’t fraud, government waste, or numbers on a spreadsheet. They’re real people who are essential to protecting our natural treasures and ensuring safe access for visitors, but they were illegally fired because Trump and his unelected billionaire sidekick Musk don’t care about maintaining and preserving our public lands for folks to enjoy for generations.”
“Our public lands are our American birthright. They are the most small “d” democratic institution we have in this country and they represent a conservation legacy that no nation on earth can match. They are also under threat. This is a coordinated effort by deep pocketed donors, Donald Trump, Elon Musk and out of touch politicians,” said Senator Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Trump and Musk created this chaos with one goal in mind: To make us think our public lands aren’t being well managed so that they could sell and take YOUR public lands. I encourage all Americans to speak out about these firings and what it will do to our public lands and communities.”
“The recent cuts to the public lands workforce by the Trump Administration have been shortsighted and arbitrary — and will have very real, lasting consequences on our parks and public lands here in Maine and across the nation,” said Senator King, Ranking Member of the National Parks Subcommittee. “This isn’t ‘measure twice, cut once’ strategy to trimming the workforce, this is closer to burning the house down to save money on a paint job. It’s a reckless approach that is shattering livelihoods across the country, and diminishing the visitor experience for our nation’s treasures. I want to thank the former employees who are speaking up to share their stories, as well as all the men and women who have dedicated their careers to being careful stewards of the lands. Our National Parks are ‘America’s best idea’ and we have an obligation to help preserve and protect them for future generations to enjoy.”
“The impact of these mass wrongful terminations of working-class Americans will soon ripple throughout rural communities and our nation. Without the proper workforce, Americans can and should expect that national forests will not be able to provide them the goods and services they deserve and have a right to from their public lands,” said Bailey Langley, a fired Forest Service probationary employee who worked in the Blue Mountains in Oregon.
“While the loss of my position obviously had great personal impact on me, my greatest concern is the impact on our public lands, those that visit them, and local communities, from these wide scale terminations and their lack of nuance. I truly believe in the mission of the Park Service, in preserving and protecting our resources for this generation and the next,” said Lydia Jones, a fired National Park Service probationary employee who worked at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. “I also believe the American people deserve to have service to enable them to have enjoyable, and most of all safe, experiences in National Parks.”
“As a small business owner operating on public land, I depend on the Forest Service and BLM to ensure access points like campgrounds, trailheads and boat ramps are maintained and open. We also rely on agency staff to help us keep our permits up-to-date. With the recent dramatic and misguided layoffs, I’m worried we will be unable to secure permits in time for the season, which will be catastrophic for our business,” said Nick Streit, owner of Taos Fly Shop in northern New Mexico.
“Park superintendents today are having to navigate through a great deal of ongoing chaos and uncertainty associated with staffing reductions, hiring freezes, lease terminations, and reduced capabilities to manage national parks. This comes after an increase in visitation of 16% and a decrease in staffing of 28% since 2010. Further staff reductions as proposed will imperil the National Park Service’s ability to be stewards of our nation’s natural and cultural resources while providing outstanding visitor experiences,” said Jeff Mow, Former Glacier National Park Superintendent.
The full virtual event can be viewed by clicking here.
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