WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, Senator Angus King (I-ME), co-chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, demanded answers from Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as to why the National Park Service’s (NPS) budget is being cut by $1.2 billion. During the exchange, Senator King pressed Secretary Burgum to justify the cuts and made clear that arbitrary budget decisions will have devastating consequences for national parks across the country — not just to operations, but to the visitor experience at locations nationwide.

The hearing comes as the Trump Administration has implemented drastic cuts to federal land agencies such as the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service at the request of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). These actions, alongside aggressive pushes to privatize federally managed lands and reshape environmental policy, pose serious threats to public land protections. The cuts to the National Park Service, as of late, are now facing bipartisan pushback in Congress.

“The 1.2 billion dollars you are cutting from the National Park Service is devastating to the National Park Service. It doesn't amount to anything in terms of our federal budget. I did a calculation, if our federal budget was the height of this room, what you are cutting from the National Park Service is the combined height of two credit cards. In other words, to save virtually no money from the federal budget, we’re devastating one of America's treasures. And that’s what I don't understand. You yourself a few minutes ago said you don't have the data; you don't have the visitation data. This is ready, fire, aim. How about waiting a year, developing the data, finding out what it is because you can’t convince me that a detailed analysis of the National Park Service took place in the last couple of months to justify this pitiful submission to this committee. So, I’m anxious to hear. We all know the term bang for the buck, this is damage for the buck. This is huge damage to the Park Service for a very minimal return in terms of reduction to the deficit, reduction of our federal budget. Why in the world, given your commitment to the national parks, the new Teddy Roosevelt Park in your state, why did you let them do this,” asked Senator King.”

Secretary Burgum replied, “Senator, I want to — first, I appreciate the chart you are holding up behind there. I believe that number, if I can see it correctly, probably is the full-time staffing as opposed to the summer and seasonal. I think we actually have — it is a mix. I think that line I’m trying to see —"

“You allowed more seasonals for this year, but I understand only half of them have been hired and are in the summer right now,” said Senator King.

“More than half have been hired but again this is a mix. Again, I just got back from a trip to Alaska. I was at Kenai Fjords. This is a beautiful and amazing park. The road gets plowed in May; it snows over in November. This is a classic case where we need a lot of staffing. cruise ships are stopping in Seward and hundreds of thousands of villagers coming over a three- or four-month period and in the wintertime, the visitor centers aren’t even open. So, we have to figure out a way to be able to do flex staffing. It is not as simple as the raw number. The one number I was able —,” responded Secretary Burgum.

Senator King finished, “There may be details in here but is pretty unmistakable the trend on this chart. I don't understand — you are saving a very small amount of money, and you are gutting — I looked it up last night--the National Park Service is the most popular federal agency. The most popular federal agency. Why in the world would you target this agency particularly when you yourself in your testimony said I don't have the data? This is ready, fire, aim. Get the data. Understand the details of the budget. Give us something like this, and then we can decide what the plan should be to echo the Vice Chair, what is the plan for doing this in a thoughtful way, not an arbitrary way of all probationary employees and that kind of thing?”

As a lifelong advocate for conservation and Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Senator King is among the Senate’s most prominent voices advocating for conservation. Senator King helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation that included the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). Because of his work, in 2020, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation (NPF) “Hero” Award. Since the creation of the LRF, Senator King has pushed park leaders to discuss funding maintenance efforts, maintaining a sufficient NPS workforce, and managing growing park visitation. Recently, Senator King pressed a Department of the Interior

Senator King’s work on this legislation is the culmination of more than four decades of work on land conservation efforts in Maine, including helping to establish the Land for Maine’s Future program in 1987 and supporting extensive conservation projects during his time as Governor. Under King’s leadership in his eight years as Maine governor, he put more Maine land under conservation than in the state’s 175 year history.

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