A court filing submitted Monday, October 20, in a federal court in San Francisco revealed that the Department of the Interior plans to lay off 2,050 employees across 89 offices, including 272 positions within the National Park Service (NPS). The layoffs were set to begin this week as part of the Administration’s broader Reduction in Force (RIF) plans tied to the ongoing government shutdown; however, the agency has since paused the layoffs under a federal court order, issued October 17 and later expanded to include Interior, which temporarily blocks governmentwide reductions while litigation proceeds.
Within the National Park Service, planned reductions included 69 positions in the Southeast Regional Office, 63 in the Northeast Regional Office, 57 in the Pacific West Regional Office, and 40 at the Denver Service Center. While Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has opted to keep most parks open during the shutdown, the Park Service has already furloughed more than 9,000 employees, and NPS staffing has declined roughly 24% over the past eight months through buyouts and early retirements.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Mary-Ann Warmerdam.