AFGE leaders are warning that the Trump administration’s plans for a major reorganization of the National Park Service will worsen existing staffing and resource shortages and make it harder for federal employees to maintain our nation’s natural and cultural resources.
On Sept. 8, the Washington Sun (formerly NOTUS) exclusively reported details on the proposed reorganization, which would overhaul how the agency’s more than 430 parks covering 85 million acres are managed by centralizing control through a new “hub and spoke” model. Resources would be allocated and distributed based on this new centralized structure, even though the existing regional reporting system would remain in place, according to the report.
Individual offices within NPS also would be restructured under the draft plans, including changing the existing culture and science division into a new office called Resource Stewardship.
The Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service, has been developing these plans for months at an executive level without any input from rank-and-file workers who would be affected. A reorganization of this magnitude also should require congressional approval.
The planned reorganization will exacerbate existing staffing and resource shortages that already are taxing park rangers and other NPS employees, AFGE Council 270 President Mark Cochran said. The council represents more than 2,000 National Park Service employees in the northeast U.S.
Nearly one-fourth of the National Park Service’s workforce has left since President Trump took office in January 2025, either through early retirements, voluntary separations, or relocating to other federal agencies, said Cochran, who also serves as president of AFGE Local 3145 in Gettysburg, Pa.
“This critical staffing crisis has led to the remaining employees having to handle an increased workload with fewer employees and fewer resources, especially since so many staff and funding dollars have been diverted to the insane amount of ‘beautification’ projects in and around the nation’s capital,” Cochran said.
“The current ‘reorganization’ as it’s described will do nothing but increase an already overwhelming workload and stretch our remaining resources to the breaking point – opening the door to diverting more funding to private contractors, which is likely the administration’s ultimate goal.”
In draft documents obtained by the Washington Star, NPS said it anticipated that the reorganization would not result in any immediate layoffs but also advised officials to avoid making any “categorial promises” if asked about potential staff reductions.
A federal judge last week said he would pause the forced relocation of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees following the filing of a new lawsuit challenging the agency’s reorganization plan.
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AFGE leaders are warning that the Trump administration’s plans for a major reorganization of the National Park Service will worsen existing staffing and resource shortages and make it harder for federal employees to maintain our nation’s natural and cultural resources.
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