Federal employee layoffs likely to impact Utah’s national parks
Feb 14, 2025, 5:35 PM
Cindy Nell, of Cheverly, Md., holds a banner during a rally in front of the Office of Personnel Management, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump is relying on a relatively obscure federal agency to reshape government. The Office of Personnel Management was created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and is the equivalent of the government's human resources department. It helps manage the civil service, including pay schedules, health insurance and pension programs. The agency has offered millions of federal workers eight months of salary if they voluntarily choose to leave their jobs by Feb. 6. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press)
(Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of federal employees across the country have been laid off due to President Donald Trump’s plan to shrink government and cut costs. Multiple groups are saying this is likely to have impacts on Utah, especially in the state’s national parks.
As many as 220,000 probationary employees were at risk of losing their jobs, though it is unclear how many were actually let go.
However, we do know that 2,300 employees at the Department of the Interior were laid off. Aaron Weiss, deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, called the news “unfortunate.”
“These are the folks who clean the latrines. These are the folks who lead the tours. These are the folks who man the admissions booths,” Weiss explained. “The National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are not bloated, overstaffed agencies. These are the folks who run our public lands, and it’s Americans who are going to suffer.”
Weiss said visitors are likely to notice the difference at national parks almost immediately. He said he does not think these layoffs are going to have the effect the Trump administration is hoping for.
“The notion that this is going to save taxpayers money is laughable, because you’re going to see lawsuits all over the place,” Weiss said.
We have reached out to several federal agencies with offices in Utah and have not yet received responses on just how many Utahns have lost their jobs because of the cuts to federal employment.
