With national parks and forests bracing for more staff layoffs, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) has introduced two bills aimed at reversing recent workforce reductions and restoring critical staffing ahead of the busy summer season.
The Protect Our Parks Act and the Save Our Forests Act would rehire employees whom President Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative let go, after it caused sweeping cuts across public land agencies. These new Congressional bills to protect public lands will no doubt prove controversial.
Bills to protect public lands spring from Colorado representative
Neguse represents a Colorado district home to some of the country’s most popular outdoor destinations, such as Rocky Mountain National Park and the White River National Forest. He says the cuts have left parks and forests dangerously understaffed, making it harder to fight wildfires, maintain trails and campgrounds, and help lost or injured visitors. Under his vision, the two bills would:
• Require the Interior and Agriculture Departments to rehire anyone fired under the mass layoffs that began in January 2025.
• Ensure staffing levels are adequate to maintain park safety, wildfire prevention, trail and campground upkeep, and cultural preservation.
• Support ongoing federal projects funded by laws like the Great American Outdoors Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Coloradans are sounding the alarm,” said Neguse. “The Trump Administration’s budget slashing has made our public lands less safe and more vulnerable. With summer around the corner, we need to get these workers back on the job.”
Other lawmakers are supportive
Other lawmakers, including Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO), back the bills. They aim to ensure both the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service are fully staffed and able to meet visitor demand and safety needs.
Rep. Salinas said, “Instead of hiring more people to protect our parks and forests this summer, the Trump Administration is firing them. That’s unacceptable.” She added that restoring these jobs will help keep park guests safe and protect local communities from wildfires.
Advocacy groups like the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the League of Conservation Voters support the legislation, saying the staffing crisis is putting public lands and visitors at risk. According to NPCA, 13% of park workers have already left this year due to buyouts, retirements, or forced resignations.
Opposition yet to be heard from
As of Wednesday morning, May 28, no Republican lawmakers had publicly responded to Neguse’s proposed legislation. However, recent legislative actions and statements suggest that many Republicans prioritize different approaches to public land management.
The Republican-led House recently passed the Fix Our Forests Act, which aims to expedite forest management activities by reducing regulatory burdens and promoting active forest management. Supporters argue that such measures are necessary to address overgrown and fire-prone forests.
Additionally, some Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns over federal land designations, viewing them as overreach. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) criticized a public lands bill as a “massive land grab,” arguing that it imposes further restrictions on communities in her district.
While these positions do not directly address Neguse’s proposed legislation, they would seem to indicate a broader Republican emphasis on reducing federal oversight and promoting local control over land management.
Just how the bills to protect public lands will fare in the real world on Capitol Hill remains to be seen.
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Not going to pass! The decision has been made and the proponents that decided to eliminate the jobs to save money are not going to back down. Even if they do, there will be an executive order shutting it down.
Plus, how many of the displaced workers are going to take a chance that it won’t happen again?
Only a 13% reduction in staffing so far…. thats barely even a good start, IMO, but we will take it for now. The way so many are complaining you would have thought it was at a 50% reduction already. Holy hair on fire for having to do the job with 9 workers instead of 10.
I like the grown up approach of the “Fix Our Forests” legislation better. A system where we manage the forests instead of managing the forest fires. Kind of like how big pharma prefers a “sickcare” system instead of a “healthcare” system. Healthy people need less emergency care and meds, healthy forests need less emergency services ie: firefighters.
Happy trails ✌️ 😎
How about we leave the budget cuts so far in place and combine it with a 13% across the board tax increase? I can just hear it… A 13% tax increase!!! The world is ending.
The current Big Beautiful Bill increases the national debt by 3 to 4 trillion dollars over 10 year over doing nothing and leaving existing law in place. Its not a serious bill for getting our fiscal house in order.
If you want to get serious about deficits as those of us who are fiscally conservative are, tax increases combined with spending cuts to the main drivers of deficits, Social Security and healthcare need to be on the table. Anything less is just political theater meant to buy votes.
How about let’s not make good the enemy of perfect? The spending is out of control due to the massively increasing government footprint and resulting loss of freedoms to the citizens. At least let’s make moderate (13%) cuts to reining in the size of federal employees doing these jobs to get them back to pre-pandemic levels. Somehow, the parks ran reasonably well before the pandemic, and now some say it’s a disaster to decrease the number moderately?
My opinion is that if there is additional money needed to maintain the parks, then the users of the parks should cough it up, not people that have never set foot in the parks. So no thanks to taking yet more money from the rest of us.
One point at a time JP, here it goes;
1. Apples and golf balls, comparison. Why not compare it to 13% more cancer. Apples and cheese souffle.
2. Yes it does….. except that projection does not take growth into account given that inflation is now at 2.1%. Throughout history, revenue at the IRS goes up when taxes go down. It does not take the $10 trillion plus of investments into account. It does not take tarriff revenue into account.
3. Now that we have found a trillion of waste, the rescission bills will start flowing into congress over the next year for a simple majority, up or down vote and eliminate specific waste.
Happt trails.
Cancel, I wish this was the place for a robust debate on budget, spending and taxation policy. My intent was mainly to point out that minimizing 13% of anything without some thoughtful cost benefit analysis is neither serious or wise policy, I have no doubt you can squeeze 13% or even 25% out of anything, just as there are plenty of us walking around (myself included) that can well afford to bite the bullet and pay 13% or 25% more taxes IF those taxes were spent responsibly and in ways that reduce the debt and maximize ROI.
If this DOGE team show us the ROI numbers, including a positive or no impact on local economies and health, I’m all in. Where’s the evidence and transparency?
I would love to do this over a beer or coffee as well. It cannot simply be binary on a positive impact or no impact. Diminishing returns are important to take into account. Value is important.
If $1 trillion gets us 87% positive and $2 trillion gets us 90% positive, a third trillion gets us 92% positive, and $6 trillion for 94% positive were the second and third and 5th and 6th trillion wisely spent tax dollars. Perfection is the enemy of the good. The first trillion was the only trillion worth spending, IMHO. The law of diminishing returns owns the realities. Time will tell but I believe DOGE, over time, will be very positive, and far into the future.
How about the 52% who pay nothing, pay their far-share?
Agree. Everyone should have some “skin in the game”, no matter how small the tax amount. If you can’t pay something, then give through national service. Shared responsibility for this great country and all its blessings is important. That said, those of us who can are simply going to, need to xo more. At the end of WWIi, the top tax rate was 90%. JFK lowered it to 60% where it stayed until Reagan lowered it to 28% ushering in years of massive deficits that it would raise revenue and force “starving the beast”. Didn’t work. We just borrowed to fund everything, including wars. The wealthy were let of the hook from there traditional role of funding wars.
Thank you for the news, Russ and Tina! Interesting that only 13 percent of the park workers have departed. Of course, omitted are the number of unfilled openings with the park service in addition to the number of seasonal employees not hired. Hard numbers would make this deal a bit more of a discussion rather than each camp telling its own story to its own supporters. Have a great day and safe travels!
Every year the federal government keeps spending more money than it takes in. If personnel cuts do not occur, the country will eventually collapse.
Collapsing as we speak…
Is it tho, Pammy? Is it collapsing, really? Here are the facts, Pammy.
-Inflation at 2.1%
-Gas is the lowest price in 4 gas years.
-Consumer confidence at a 21 year high.
– Over 10 trillion of foreign investments into the USA.
– So much more, but here is the best one for you; In the entire history of polling “right track/wrong track”, for the very first time ever in our history, the majority of Americans say we are on the right track. First time EVER!!!
Welcome to the Golden Age.
Interestingly all the opposition to this program has a “D” behind their names – as it seems the writers. also have the same bent on nearly all articles of controversy. This isn’t the forum for that type of persuasion or discourse.
I don’t have a ‘D’ behind my name. I used to have an ‘R’ until the ‘R’ party became the ‘T’ party.
Funny, my name used to have a D behind it (born & raised), but the D party jumped off the cliff and became the S party.
Ahhhh, so now the truth comes out. All about the T. Who cares about the U, the S or the A, just no T regarless any good that may be happening. Just say no to T.
You sir, by virtue of your last statement are the definition of one who is afflicted with the condition commonly known as TDS. I always thought you to be quite rational JP but you sir, reveal yourself.
Happy trails ✌️ 😎
You , my friend, need to read news from outside the USA…. it is horrifyingly scary to see the wisdom of those out there who see us killing ourselves off from the inside…. all the grift would pay for 10 new national park purchases & all the employees restored across the board – so take it out of the pocket of your T …..
Same…. now I keep my R so I can vote in the primaries against those I wouldn’t want in office at a more effective level. We honestly need a purple party – ones that reach across the aisle & get the job done…..
I’m not sure where you get your information regarding D.O.G.E., but they did not “eliminate” any jobs anywhere. They audited and continue to audit each and every federal agency and give the information they found in the audit to the Department Heads to do with what they may. As bloated as government has become, I’m sure there will be many, many cuts. But D.O.G.E did not “fire” anyone.
but they did share all your private information on the darkweb….