1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

The Trump administration's layoffs have already begun taking a severe toll on our cherished national parks. Services are being slashed, visitor centers closed, tours cancelled, and staffing critically reduced right before the busy spring and summer seasons. At places like Saguaro, Yosemite, Effigy Mounds, and Carlsbad Caverns, visitors are facing cutbacks in hours, closures, and the elimination of guided tours that enhance the park experience. These reductions jeopardize not only visitor enjoyment but potentially safety and resource protection as well. Our national parks are economic drivers for local communities, supporting thousands of jobs and generating hundreds of millions in revenue each year. Undermining park operations puts this essential tourism economy at risk. Furthermore, these shortsighted cuts come at the expense of the very parks meant to preserve America's natural and cultural heritage for future generations to experience and appreciate. Parks were already struggling with funding and staffing shortages before these drastic layoffs. Cutting personnel so drastically, rather than investing in our parks, is an unacceptable dereliction of duty. Our parks and public lands deserve robust support and sufficient resources to uphold their vital missions of conservation, education, and providing access to outdoor recreation opportunities. I urge you to take action to reverse these damaging cuts and ensure our national parks remain fully operational and properly staffed to serve all Americans.