Washington recreation organizations are warning that proposed cuts by the Trump Administration to public lands could “break” an already stressed system.
In its 2027 proposed budget, the Trump Administration proposes cutting National Park funding by 25%, a $746 million reduction that will likely lead to thousands of positions being cut. It comes after 2025, when more than 4,000 people lost their jobs at National Parks and Monuments across the country.
“This spring and summer, we are likely to see closed roads, absent rangers, washed-out access roads, and backed up our unusable toilets at our favorite campgrounds and trailheads, frankly, because there aren’t enough people there to provide those services anymore.” Tom Uniack, the executive director of Washington Wild, said.
Part of Uniack’s prediction is because of what parks and USFS recreation areas experienced in 2025, when the Trump Administration and Department of Government Efficiency slashed jobs and offered early retirements.
The Washington Trails Association reports that led to a 22% drop in trail miles maintained in 2025 and a loss of 5,200 staff. The USFS admits in a December 2025 report that improvements are unlikely to come anytime soon.
“Public access, visitor satisfaction, and recreation-based economic contributions will continue to decline in 2026 and beyond without direction to prioritize investments in recreation generally and the trails program specifically,” the report noted.
Instead, the White House responded with a 64% proposed cut to trail maintenance for next year. Still, the Administration’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told U.S Senators Wednesday the cuts are about efficiency and “promoting stewardship of natural resources.”
“The budget focuses resources on visitor-facing operations at parks, wildlife refuges, and across public lands.” Burgum testified, “This will help improve visitor experience, invite tourism, create jobs.”
Uniack doesn’t see how that’s possible.
“They got rid of those people. So, if you’re going to focus on what little folks you have left on the facade of the building, it doesn’t mean that that building is going to be functional,” he said.
Adding to the issues in Washington, winter storms have impacted 40 percent of Forest Service roads across the state, WTA says. In the Enchantments, the Goat Falls trail remains impassible due to fallen trees. With just one forest ranger for one of the State’s most popular regions, reopening is unclear.
“Right now, the agency staff of what’s left of them are trying to figure out what that damage is right now. But we know that there’s damage, and that’s going to require funding and people to make sure that they prioritize which of those roads can be opened.”
Permitting groups like WTA to conduct trail maintenance and recreation groups like the Mountaineers are likely going to be impacted by less staffing. Last year, The Mountaineers advocated for the Explore Act to pass in the U.S Congress. It passed unanimously, streamlining the process for permits, but Betsy Robblee, the conservation and advocacy director for The Mountaineer, worries the legislation is moot without staff to process applications.
“Permits have always been challenging for us. There’s just not enough staff to administer them." Roblee said.
“We can’t take people outside for our courses unless we have these permits, so it’s kind of mission critical.” Roblee continued, “We’re really hoping that the budget will fund the staff that’s necessary to implement those important legislative changes.”
In addition to maintaining campgrounds, trails, and facilities like bathrooms, USFS staff serve roles in scientific study of the environments they serve, and how human behavior impacts them. They are critical for search and rescue operations, and, as Washington State is under a statewide drought declaration, they enforce fire restrictions that are likely to come to the Cascades and Olympics.
"The staff that’s important to Patrol areas make sure campfires are out and that people are following the rules. That’s something we’re very concerned about," Robblee said.
In Washington D.C., Presidential budgets are often referred to as a ‘statement of values’ because spending power lies with Congress. WTA says they are hoping to work with the nation’s legislative body to oppose these cuts.
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