1. United States
2. Ky.
3. Letter

The Trump administration's plan to terminate National Park Service leases and shut down 34 offices across the country poses a grave threat to the integrity and operations of our national parks system. These facilities house vital staff, including scientists, archaeologists, superintendents, law enforcement personnel, and others essential for carrying out the Park Service's core mission. Closing visitor centers, museums, emergency response hubs, and climate-controlled artifact storage will severely undermine the agency's ability to protect our parks and serve the millions of visitors who cherish these treasured places. Dismantling the National Park Service in this manner is shortsighted and reckless. It will leave millions of irreplaceable artifacts vulnerable, hamper public safety and resource protection efforts, and deprive visitors of critical services and educational opportunities. This action betrays over a century of work by Americans to safeguard our national parks for future generations. The National Park Service has already lost 9% of its staff due to firings and resignations under duress in recent weeks, stretching remaining personnel dangerously thin. Canceling these leases and terminating over a thousand more employees will only exacerbate this staffing crisis, pushing our parks past the breaking point. The American people demand leaders who will protect and preserve our national parks, not dismantle them piece by piece. I urge you to intervene immediately to stop these destructive lease cancellations and ensure the National Park Service has the resources and facilities it needs to uphold its vital mission of stewardship for all Americans. Our parks are too precious to let this dismantling continue unchecked.