Latest news with #staffingcuts
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Long lines, dirty bathrooms, closed campsites await visitors: national park experts warn
The Brief Experts warn staffing cuts will jeopardize summer travel plans to national parks. Reduced staffing could lead to long lines, dirty bathrooms, and could compromise public safety. Staffing shortages could also increase wildfire risks, park advocates warned. YOSEMITE, Calif. - From Yosemite to Joshua Tree, Sequoia, and Redwood national parks, millions of visitors flock to these world-renowned treasures located in California during the summer months. And as Memorial Day marks the unofficial kick-off to the summer travel season, there are dire and mounting concerns about not only the deterioration of the visitor experience at national parks, but the dangers posed by the drastic cuts to staff in recent months. "This is a crisis," said Don Neubacher, former superintendent of Yosemite National Park and an executive council member of The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, a group made up of more than 4,100 National Park Service current, former, and retired employees as well as volunteers. Neubacher warned visitors to be braced for possible issues, including long lines at entrances, closed campgrounds, dirty bathrooms, and overflowing trash bins. "After all the chaotic cuts and hiring freezes, the quality experience that visitors have come to expect will be difficult to provide," the national park advocate said. Dig deeper The coalition also said that the cuts put the health and safety of visitors at risk. Experts noted that park rangers often serve as the first line of defense in medical rescues and other emergencies and are tasked with keeping trails and roads maintained and safe for visitors. So, with fewer staff on hand, they warned of ill-maintained and potentially dangerous infrastructure as well as slow response times for emergency rescue operations. "A poor visitor experience not only fails to uphold the mission of the NPS [National Parks Service], it will jeopardize the protection of these spaces for the future," said former superintendent of Channel Islands National Park and coalition executive council member Russell Galipeau. National park experts said a major concern for the entire state of California was the heightened risk of wildfires as temperatures soar amid extremely dry conditions. "The gutting of the federal workforce that cared for these places means that there are fewer National Park Service employees removing invasive species and reducing fire risk on an ongoing basis. And, when the time comes, there will be fewer people to serve as secondary fire-fighting support in national parks when needed," the coalition said in a news release. SEE ALSO:Gov. Newsom signs $170 million wildfire resiliency bill By the numbers Figures showed that the number of visitors to national parks has surged in recent years, with a record-breaking 331 million people visiting last year. In California, the coalition put that figure at more than 12 million, with national parks sites including Death Valley, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Redwood all seeing increases in foot traffic. "Yet staffing at national parks has not kept pace," the coalition said. Experts noted that even before the Trump administration's cuts, parks were operating understaffed and underfunded. "The most recent wave of personnel and funding cuts in February targeted frontline staff and forced land management agencies to eliminate critical seasonal positions ahead of peak visitor season," the coalition said. Last month, amid mounting pressure and criticism, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed national parks to "remain open and accessible." In an April 3 order, he stated that his department and the NPS "are committed to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to visit and enjoy our Nation's most treasured places." But park advocates and others criticized the move, saying it was contradictory and impossible to implement the directive given the workforce reductions. The coalition said that the interior secretary's order ignores the realities of what is needed to safely manage national parks. The group also slammed a proposed White House budget that's being deemed as one that would bring about the largest cuts ever to the National Park Service. The coalition said that according to figures crunched by the National Parks Conservation Association, the proposed budget could lead to drastic closures of at least 350 national park sites nationwide, "effectively more than 75% of the national park system." Park advocates noted that the slashes to staff and resources go beyond politics and their effects will be consequential and long-lasting. "It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, Americans love their national parks," said Galipeau. "We're supposed to manage these places for the enjoyment of future generations. Your children and their grandchildren should all make memories visiting our parks. But now, that future is in jeopardy." The U.S. Department of the Interior did not immediately respond to KTVU's request for comment.
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump turns to US Supreme Court to pursue government restructuring
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a federal judge's order to halt large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, part of his campaign to downsize and reshape the federal government. The Justice Department's request came after U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco blocked large-scale federal layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days in a May 9 ruling siding with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments that challenged the administration. "That far-reaching order bars almost the entire executive branch from formulating and implementing plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce, and requires disclosure of sensitive and deliberative agency documents that are presumptively protected by executive privilege," the department wrote in its filing. It added that the judicial order "does all of that based on the extraordinary view that the president lacks authority to direct executive agencies how to exercise their statutory powers to conduct large-scale personnel actions within the executive branch," the department added.
CBC
10-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Trump's drastic cuts to federal agencies temporarily halted by U.S. judge
Social Sharing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided Friday with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days. "As history demonstrates, the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress," said Illston. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ruling is the broadest of its kind against the government overhaul that has been led by Elon Musk, the world's richest person who is also CEO of electric-vehicle maker Tesla. Dozens of lawsuits have challenged the work of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, on various grounds including violating privacy laws and exceeding its authority, with mixed results. Agencies thrown 'into chaos,' plaintiffs say Trump directed government agencies in February to work with DOGE to identify targets for mass layoffs as part of the administration's restructuring plans. Trump urged agencies to eliminate duplicative roles, unnecessary management layers and non-critical jobs, while automating routine tasks, closing regional field offices and reducing the use of outside contractors. "The Trump administration's unlawful attempt to reorganize the federal government has thrown agencies into chaos, disrupting critical services provided across our nation," said a statement from the coalition of plaintiffs. "Each of us represents communities deeply invested in the efficiency of the federal government — laying off federal employees and reorganizing government functions haphazardly does not achieve that." WATCH | Musk orders federal workers to justify their jobs: Elon Musk orders U.S. federal workers to justify their jobs 3 months ago Duration 2:03 U.S. federal workers were ordered to justify their jobs this weekend by submitting five bullet points on their accomplishments from the past week or face termination. The initiative, spearheaded by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, has Republican backing, Democratic opposition and warnings of legal challenges ahead. Illston scheduled a hearing for May 22 to consider a longer-lasting preliminary injunction. She said the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on merits of some of their claims in their lawsuit, which was filed on April 28 and alleged Trump exceeded his authority. It also alleged the Office of Management and Budget, DOGE and Office of Personnel Management exceeded their authority and violated administrative law. Illston said plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm without the temporary restraining order, which she said preserves the status quo. Illston said the plaintiffs submitted more than 1,000 pages of evidence and 62 sworn declarations, and she highlighted some of the material. For example, she said the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and its Pittsburgh office, which researches health hazards facing mineworkers, had 221 of the department's 222 workers terminated, citing the union. She gave similar examples at local offices of Head Start, which supports early learning, the Farm Service Agency and the Social Security Administration. "The court here is not considering the potential loss of income of one individual employee, but the widespread termination of salaries and benefits for individuals, families, and communities," Illston wrote in her ruling.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge orders temporary halt to Trump administration's mass layoff plans
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration must temporarily halt efforts to implement a February 26 executive order that directed government agencies to develop reorganization plans and to prepare for large-scale staffing cuts, a federal judge said on Friday. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days. "Federal courts should not micromanage the vast federal workforce, but courts must sometimes act to preserve the proper checks and balances between the three branches of government," wrote Illston. "As a group of conservative former government officials and advisors have written to the court, 'Unchecked presidential power is not what the Framers had in mind'."
Reuters
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Judge orders temporary halt to Trump administration's mass layoff plans
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration must temporarily halt efforts to implement a February 26 executive order that directed government agencies to develop reorganization plans and to prepare for large-scale staffing cuts, a federal judge said on Friday. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days. "Federal courts should not micromanage the vast federal workforce, but courts must sometimes act to preserve the proper checks and balances between the three branches of government," wrote Illston. "As a group of conservative former government officials and advisors have written to the court, 'Unchecked presidential power is not what the Framers had in mind'."
