Employees who maintained America's most wild places say they are concerned for public safety and for wildlife.

Summary

The Trump administration’s recent mass layoffs of national park and forest staff have sparked outrage as services deteriorate and safety concerns grow.

Around 1,000 National Park Service employees (5%) and 3,400 Forest Service workers (10%) were terminated on February 14, causing long entrance lines, trail closures, and reduced visitor services.

Former employees like wilderness ranger Kate White worry about visitor safety and ecological damage at popular destinations.

Conservation work for endangered species has halted, and wildfire response capabilities are threatened. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the cuts as deficit reduction, while critics call for policy reversal.

  • turnipEnglish
    23·
    1 day ago

    They don’t support the most useful programs for the poor like universal healthcare, I know that much. I remember when Joe Biden was building entire wings onto for-profit hospitals during Covid as he said he was against universal healthcare.

    • Charapaso@lemmy.world
      5·
      1 day ago

      Yes, most Democrats aren’t Left enough. Some are trying to push the party to the Left, however.

      I think the confusion here is your blanket “they” is conflating the mainstream Democratic party instead of those of us who are pushing this stuff at the grassroots level, e.g. actual progressives/Leftists etc.