Photo Courtesy Caldera Action

CALDERA ACTION NEWS RELEASE

Unless something unexpected happens today, September 30, the US government will shut down tonight at midnight. Right now, the Trump regime has not made clear to National Park Service staff or to the public whether our national park units will be open or closed and what staff, if any, will remain on duty during a shutdown.

Local high level NPS staff told us yesterday that they have received no guidance from the Department of the Interior on what they are to do in case of a shutdown.

During the 2018 government shutdown, Trump officials ordered the parks to stay open basically without staff and park resources were vandalized, trash and toilets overflowed. Joshua Tree National Park sustained severe damage.  In this setting, Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought has said he plans to order mass firings of federal workers during a shutdown, rather than the usual furloughs. Whether NPS staff will be fired we don’t know. Vought has said agencies whose work is “inconsistent with Trump’s priorities” would be targeted. The NPS has already lost 24% of its staff in the last year and Vought and Interior Secretary Burgum have floated the idea of closing the NPS regional offices and greatly reducing the Washington Office. Trump has not appointed a NPS Director.

Several legal challenges to past “reductions in force” by the Office of Management and Budget have made their way to the Supreme Court which has generally paused lower court injunctions while allowing litigation to continue in the lower courts. Many legal experts have questioned the legality of conducting a RIF during a shutdown.

The National Parks Conservation Association is calling for closure of all national park units during the shutdown. NPS staff in place during normal times are essential to protect the parks and the NPS is legally required to protect all NPS units for present and future generations regardless of the status of the government.

 If you want to help or keep abreast of the shutdown, go to NPCA.org.

Unless something unexpected happens today, September 30, the US government will shut down tonight at midnight. Right now, the Trump regime has not made clear to National Park Service staff or to the public whether our national park units will be open or closed and what staff, if any, will remain on duty during a shutdown. Local high level NPS staff told us yesterday that they have received no guidance from the Department of the Interior on what they are to do in case of a shutdown. During the 2018 government shutdown, Trump officials ordered the parks to stay open basically without staff and park resources were vandalized, trash and toilets overflowed. Joshua Tree National Park sustained severe damage.  In this setting, Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought has said he plans to order mass firings of federal workers during a shutdown, rather than the usual furloughs. Whether NPS staff will be fired we don’t know. Vought has said agencies whose work is “inconsistent with Trump’s priorities” would be targeted. The NPS has already lost 24% of its staff in the last year and Vought and Interior Secretary Burgum have floated the idea of closing the NPS regional offices and greatly reducing the Washington Office. Trump has not appointed a NPS Director. Several legal challenges to past “reductions in force” by the Office of Management and Budget have made their way to the Supreme Court which has generally paused lower court injunctions while allowing litigation to continue in the lower courts. Many legal experts have questioned the legality of conducting a RIF during a shutdown. The National Parks Conservation Association is calling for closure of all national park units during the shutdown. NPS staff in place during normal times are essential to protect the parks and the NPS is legally required to protect all NPS units for present and future generations regardless of the status of the government.  If you want to help or keep abreast of the shutdown, go to NPCA.org.