1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

The National Park Service and our national parks require adequate funding to properly protect these cherished natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. The administration's proposed budget cuts would be catastrophic, resulting in fewer rangers, deteriorating infrastructure, an inability to address the $12 billion repair backlog, and preventing the rehiring of vital park staff who were improperly terminated this week. Our parks are already struggling with understaffing and lack of resources, which diminishes the visitor experience and jeopardizes preservation efforts. Reductions in park staff over the last decade, coupled with rising visitation, have strained operations at iconic parks like Yellowstone and Gateway National Recreation Area. Without reversing these draconian cuts and rehiring improperly fired workers, we risk irreparable damage to America's legacy of conservation stewardship. Our national parks define our national identity and serve as economic engines for communities across the country. Adequately funding the National Park Service and reinstating staff is an investment in preserving our natural and cultural heritage for this and future generations. Reinstate funding to not only maintain current operations but also address the longstanding maintenance needs and rehire all workers improperly terminated, as they are vital to our national parks' operations.