Reduction-in-Force Anticipated at Acadia National Park
Committee hearing on Department of Interior Budget, Wednesday
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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK—Notices to approximately 1,500 National Park Service employees are expected this week as the Interior Department finalizes reduction-in-force (RIF) plans. Those notices could potentially include some Acadia National Park employees.
Those potential layoffs come after approximately 5 percent in the department have already left in the past few months under incentive programs such as the “deferred resignation program.” That program allowed employees to have paid leave until October. Then, they would be required to leave government service.
How many people could be impacted at Acadia National Park is not currently known, but protestors supporting the park and its employees took to the Bar Harbor streets on Saturday. Protestors walked in the rain from the town’s village green and went throughout downtown proper before returning to the soggy green.
“We love our park” was among the chants as was “hands off our park.”
IT, communications, human resources, finances, and contracting have been undergoing consolidation in the federal department since the beginning of May.
Another round of RIFs may occur in June, according to reporting by Government Executive, which had previously reported on the department’s plan to consolidate functions.
The federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency has also focused on eliminating multiple NPS grants for elimination, and says it will save the country $26 million, the New York Times reported earlier this month. The 2026 budget proposed and released in early May shows NPS funding decreasing by $1.2 billion. This is approximately 40% of its budget.
On Wednesday, May 21, at 10:30 a.m., the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will review President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the Department of the Interior. Department of the Interior Secretary Douglas Burgum is scheduled to testify. It begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Senate Office Building.
The National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan advocacy group, has said that there would be a $900 million cut to park operations, $73 million in construction funding, $77 million to preservation and recreation funding, as well as $187 million to historic preservation funding.
Earlier this month, Friends of Acadia’s President and CEO Eric Stiles “joined leaders from Schoodic Institute, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, and 150 other national park partners in Washington, D.C., for the National Park Foundation’s Hill Day 2025. Together, park partners called on Congress to protect national parks from further budget and personnel cuts,” according to an email sent out by the nonprofit.
Just before the proposed budget was released, Senator Angus King (I-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) called America the Beautiful Act. The act calls for supporting national park infrastructure projects that are deemed critical. According to National Parks Traveler, it would “reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) for eight years and increase its funding to $2 billion a year.”
According to Friends of Acadia, the service has lost approximately 13% of its workers since January 1. Those losses have come through early retirement mentioned previously, buyouts, and deferred resignations.
The funding that had been frozen ($1.7 million) in January is currently no longer frozen. A federal court order in April calls for Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to be dispersed. Those funds were for ecological restoration and partnership projects.
Photos: Shaun Farrar and Carrie Jones/Bar Harbor Story from May 17 protest.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Friends of Acadia has a policy impacts page that is updated regularly.
Senate Appropriations Committee
To watch the hearing this Wednesday
Contact Senator Collins
Contact Senator King
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I hate this regime.