1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

STOP DOGE FROM DESTROYING OUR NATIONAL PARKS — AND HOLD TRUMP & MUSK ACCOUNTABLE FOR ILLEGAL ACTIONS Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by Elon Musk, is carrying out mass illegal terminations across the federal workforce, including over 1,000 NPS employees and 2,000 rescinded seasonal job offers — all without proper OPM procedures, due process, or statutory authority. This violates multiple laws and protections governing civil service, including: • 5 U.S.C. § 2302 – prohibiting prohibited personnel practices, including politically motivated firings. • The Antideficiency Act – if personnel are terminated or work canceled without lawful appropriations. • The Civil Service Reform Act – which ensures merit-based hiring and protections against partisan purges. • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – if DOGE actions impede park operations without environmental review. The consequences are dire: Over 300 million people rely on these parks yearly. Staff shortages have already led to trail closures, bathroom shutdowns, trash pileups, and suspended search and rescue operations. These actions threaten public safety, the environment, and $40 billion in annual revenue for surrounding communities. This is more than incompetence — it is government sabotage, designed to undermine public services and hand over public lands to private profiteers. DOGE’s actions are reminiscent of past shutdowns that saw protected Joshua trees destroyed, but this time the damage may be permanent. I urge Congress to: 1. Launch an immediate investigation into DOGE’s legality and funding authority. 2. Reinstate NPS staffing and enforce federal employment law. 3. Prohibit the executive branch from circumventing OPM or unilaterally dismantling civil service protections. 4. Block privatization schemes and preserve the public ownership of federal lands. This is a coordinated attack on our democracy, workforce, and land. Defund DOGE. Investigate Trump and Musk. Restore our parks.