After a federal judge ordered the disclosure, President Trump’s Interior Department revealed that prior to the federal government shutdown (which started on October 1), it was planning more than 2,000 layoffs on October 20.
Note: The Interior Department layoffs are temporarily blocked under a court restraining order by Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who suggested that the White House budget office had “taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don’t apply to them anymore and they can impose the structures that they like.”
In addition to cutting 770 positions in the Office of the Secretary (about 9 percent of the office), the Department also planned to eliminate 272 positions in the National Park Service (about 2% of its overall workforce).
According to Government Executive: “The Southeast, Northeast and Pacific West regional offices would each slash dozens of staff. The agency’s Denver Service Center, which NPS describes as its ‘centralized planning, design and construction project,’ would lose nearly 20% of its employees.”
@NatlParkService is hiring 500 elite law enforcement officers to protect America’s parks & monuments! From remote wilderness to city streets, our officers & rangers are on the frontlines carrying out @POTUS’ directive to keep America SAFE! Learn more:https://t.co/sHwppfIj5q
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) November 17, 2025
Today, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on social media that the National Park Service is hiring. He wrote: “@NatlParkService is hiring 500 elite law enforcement officers to protect America’s parks & monuments! From remote wilderness to city streets, our officers & rangers are on the frontlines carrying out @POTUS’ directive to keep America SAFE!”
According to the press release, NPS is recruiting 200 experienced law enforcement rangers for assignments across a wide range of national parks, and 300 U.S. Park Police officers to work in Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco, three Democrat-led cities.
Per the job description, “United States Park Police officers are expected to regularly work with state, local and federal partners to enhance safety and reduce crime.”