Washington, Dec. 23 -- Congresswoman Doris Matsui issued the following press release:
Congresswomen Doris Matsui (D-CA-07) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02) and Congressmen Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) and Jeff Hurd (R-CO-03) led a group of 28 total lawmakers in sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging him to address insufficient staffing levels and refrain from additional employee reductions at National Parks across the country, citing the impact of staffing shortages on park visitors and the economies of neighboring "gateway" communities.
Since January 2025, the National Park Service (NPS) has fired or lost more than 24 percent of its staff, creating significant challenges at National Parks including decreased capacity for...