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Washington, D.C – Cutting the budget of the National Park Service (NPS) next year would make our nation’s natural and historic wonders less accessible to the American public, said National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon.

The proposed $360 million cut in the service’s operating budget would lead to reduced hours for park operations and visitor centers, even forcing some visitor centers to close. There would also be fewer ranger-led talks, unfinished maintenance work and forced overtime for staff during peak summer months, Reardon said.

“Our members love being Park Service employees. They are dedicated to the mission and it’s frustrating to them to not be in a position to give the American public the experience our members want them to have,” Reardon said in a statement submitted to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks.

NTEU represents National Park Service employees who are concerned that the administration’s proposed 2018 budget would hamstring their ability to make these national treasures accessible, beautiful and safe for the public.

“As one of our members said, ‘Parks cannot be automated.  They don’t run themselves.  You can’t set up an automatic check-in or checkout line for nature, not without forfeiting the opportunity to briefly engage every single visitor and impart to them the basic things they need to keep in mind to have a satisfying and safe visit,’” Reardon wrote.

The National Park Service is already doing more with less. Some parks have half the number of employees they used to, but the same workload.  In some cases, NPS has changed workers’ shifts because of a lack of funds. For example, when it snows in the Washington, D.C., area, some employees have been forced to switch to overnight shifts because the roads needed plowing and the parks wanted to limit overtime pay. A lack of sufficient funds leads to cutting corners on maintenance. A faulty elevator at the Washington Monument created a safety hazard for visitors and employees alike until NTEU pressed to have it closed and properly repaired.

Under the administration’s proposed budget, there would be 6.4 percent fewer full-time positions. Specifically, the budget for National Recreation and Preservation is cut by $25.5 million, which would likely lead to the elimination of thousands of seasonal workers.

“Our union does its best to make sure that all NPS employees come to work in a safe and respected environment,” Reardon wrote. “But improving the workplace takes more than vigilance. It takes funds. Funding the parks at a level where workers feel they are given what they need to be able to do the job is the place to start.”

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 31 federal agencies and departments.