Public land officials are warning of negative effects on local economies, waste pileups, and consequences to ecosystems across America’s national parks as the government shutdown moves into its 22nd day.
The National Park Service opted to keep most of its parks open during the government shutdown, albeit with limited staffing on the grounds. NPS furloughed 9,296 of its 14,500 employees during the lapse in federal funding, according to its contingency plan. A recent court filing has also revealed that reduction-in-force measures within NPS are impending.
The Department of the Interior has kept at least partially open about 80% of its 430 park units at this point in the government shutdown, it shared with the Washington Examiner. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, existing fee balances, and donations have helped “sustain public access and lessen economic disruptions to nearby communities,” it said.
However, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), a forester and the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, warned the open parks “can’t continue indefinitely” without federal funding.
“Despite all the extraordinary efforts being made, at some point, without funding, the public lands will not be accessible to the public. The longer this unnecessary shutdown lasts, the more negative consequences that we’ll start to see without regular staffing: Litter will pile up, and park ecosystems will be affected,” Westerman said during a House GOP press conference Wednesday.
Westerman did not say exactly when this turning point would be, nor did the Interior Department.
The administration kept most parks open during the shutdown, in large part because of the economic consequences when parks completely shut down. A spokesperson for the Interior Department told the Washington Examiner that when parks close, surrounding communities “lose income, jobs, and the sense of security that comes from predictable visitation.” The spokesperson blamed the shutdown on Democratic lawmakers.
“We are currently doing our best to avoid the devastating effects congressional Democrats’ government shutdown has on the economy,” the spokesperson said. “When national parks completely shut down, the impact on surrounding communities is swift and devastating. Local economies that rely on park tourism lose tens of millions of dollars each day as visitors are turned away, hotels sit empty, and restaurants and tour operators close their doors.”
Because parks such as Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon draw many tourists, the states these parks are home to, California, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona, feel the most acute financial sting, according to the department spokesperson.
“Last year, NPS visitor spending contributed $56 billion to the U.S. economy,” the spokesperson said.
The Interior Department intends to lay off 2,050 workers, abolishing positions across 89 competitive areas, a Monday court filing from Rachel Borra, chief human capital officer at the Interior Department, revealed. The plans for the layoffs came prior to the shutdown, Borra wrote, despite the filing coming as part of the lawsuit between several unions and the Trump administration over shutdown layoffs.
The Interior Department and NPS decided to keep the parks open during the shutdown despite pleas from several parks advocacy groups to keep them closed. A group of former park superintendents asked Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close the parks and public lands in the event of a shutdown. So did the National Parks Conservation Association, which warned of what happened when National Parks were left open during the 2019 government shutdown under President Donald Trump’s first term.
“Prehistoric petroglyphs were vandalized, battlefield artifacts were stolen, Joshua trees were cut down, and illegal off-roading vehicles drove through fragile archaeological sites. The damage was devastating and, in some cases, permanent,” NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised the Trump administration for keeping the parks open on Wednesday.
“When President Obama shut down the national parks, the National Mall in 2013, it was a real hardship for the American people. And the Trump administration is trying to handle this differently. They’ve gone to great lengths, as much as they can, to protect Americans’ access to our national parks, while Democrats continue to hold government funding hostage,” Johnson said.
National parks are overwhelmingly popular, polling well among Democrats and Republicans, and 71% of all U.S. residents oppose the sale of any public U.S. lands, according to a 2025 Trust for Public Land poll.
House GOP leadership tapped into this broad support for parks on Wednesday during their appeal to end the government shutdown, which they again blamed on Democrats.
“Under the Democrats’ shutdown, the lack of funding for staff and maintenance projects could cause irreparable damage to these national parks,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on the interior, said during Wednesday’s press conference.
NPS CLEARS SMALL HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT IN PARK NEAR WHITE HOUSE DURING SHUTDOWN
Westerman pointed to the effects of tourism on parks during the shutdown.
“When Americans save up to visit a national park or a national forest, experience should exceed their expectations. Families visiting our parks are now being met with disappointment as visitor services and experiences are reduced. As the shutdown drags on, families will cancel their vacations or day trips to our public lands,” Westerman said.
