Ginny Roscamp, Senior Press Secretary, Federal Communications, Sierra Club, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Documents filed today in Federal court by the Trump Administration reveal that the Department of the Interior plans to permanently lay off 2,050 people across federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Fish and Wildlife Service, and more.
The documents were published in response to a temporary restraining order issued by a judge that temporarily bars the Trump administration from issuing and/or enforcing layoff notices — called Reductions in Force, or RIFs — to unionized employees during the ongoing federal shutdown.
The cuts would include 770 jobs at the Office of the Secretary, 474 jobs at the Bureau of Land Management, 330 jobs at the U.S. Geological Survey, 142 jobs at the Fish and Wildlife Service, and 270 jobs at the National Park Service.
In response, Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:
“The American people will ultimately pay the price for these planned layoffs at Interior. Gutting the staff who protect our public lands and wildlife is not fiscal responsibility, it’s sabotage. From national parks to wildlife refuges, staff at agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service protect and preserve our shared natural heritage. The Trump administration is deliberately hollowing out the federal agencies charged with safeguarding our environment to serve the corporate polluters who see our public lands as something to exploit, not protect.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.