Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to inform the press and the people about what they can expect to happen if and when Congress fails to compromise to keep the United States government open and running and forces a massive federal government shutdown that could be disastrous for the U.S. economy.

“Our national parks reflect who we are as a country and unite us in our common purpose to not only enjoy their beauty, but also to preserve them for all Americans to enjoy,” the department reiterates in the press release.

In the event of a lapse in annual government appropriations, many National Park Service sites will be closed, just in time for the peak Autumn leaf color season, when millions of Americans and people from all over the world visit national parks to marvel at the annual show in nature.

“This means that the majority of national parks will be closed completely to public access,” they say.

Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public, such as public monuments in the nation’s capital or hiking trails in remote areas, will face significantly reduced visitor services.

At NPS sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed without pay.

“Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety,” the agency says.

In the press conference, it was revealed that the House Republicans are demanding a 10 percent reduction in the budget for America’s national parks as part of massive cuts in the federal budget they demand before agreeing to vote to approve the budget for fiscal year 2024, even though they do not have the votes in the Senate to approve such drastic cuts. Even if they did, the White House would not sign off on such dramatic cuts and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto it.

The House proposal includes a $433 million cut to the NPS budget. The Department of Interior recommends visitors contact Recreation.gov about its refund policy for camping, tours, permit and other types of reservations.

The cuts demanded by the House Republicans are in stark contrast to what the Biden administration has been doing to demonstrate the economic impact of the parks on the nation’s economy, and to shore up funding for the parks that have suffered shortfalls under previous administrations, both Democrat and Republican.

Related: National Parks Set Visitation and Economic Impact Record: Biden Administration Addresses Funding Shortfalls

In the Trump shutdown in 2018-2019, it was estimated that the parks missed out on $400,000 per day in entrance fee revenue. For the looming shutdown, the estimates show the Park Service will lose as much as $1 million a day. Local businesses will feel the hit even harder, with an estimated $70 million lost in daily spending.

Services and Sites Impacted by Lapse in Appropriations

Visitors should expect that many of the services and facilities they depend on at national parks will be closed or largely unavailable during a shutdown.

Due to the dramatic differences in accessibility, operations, size, visitation, location and infrastructure represented in NPS sites, the number of employees on site will vary.

As a general rule, if a facility or area is locked, secured or otherwise inaccessible during non-business hours (buildings, gated parking lots, bathrooms, etc.), or is closed regularly for safety or resource protection, it will be locked or secured for the duration of the lapse in appropriations. Parks will not provide regular road or trail condition updates. As a part of their orderly shutdown activities, park staff will post signs as appropriate to notify visitors that services, maintenance or other non-emergency management activities will not be conducted.

At parks with areas that are physically accessible to the public – meaning that due to their physical characteristics it is impossible or impractical to restrict public access, including park roads, lookouts, trails, campgrounds, and open-air memorials – these areas will remain physically accessible to the public. This would include the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C.

“However, staffing levels and services including restroom and sanitation maintenance, trash collection, road maintenance, campground operations, and emergency operations will vary and are not guaranteed,” the agency says.

Concessions located in areas that are accessible to the public may continue to operate during a lapse in appropriations if no NPS resources are required to support concession operations beyond excepted services and critical health, safety and protection services.

Subject to the approval of the NPS Director, parks may enter into non-reimbursable arrangements with state, local or Tribal governments, cooperating associations, and/or other third parties for donations to fund the full operation of an individual park site or of specified services that clearly benefit the park and public by providing enhanced visitor health, protection and safety. The NPS is not authorized to reimburse third parties that provide donations for such services.

Activities to Protect Life and Property Will Remain Ongoing

During a potential lapse in government funding, the NPS will continue activities necessary to protect life and property, expressly authorized by law, and necessarily implied by law, including:

• Law enforcement and emergency response.

• Border and coastal protection and surveillance.

• Fire suppression for active fires or monitoring areas currently under a fire watch.

• Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, equipment, and other property within the National Park System, including research property.

• Activities that ensure production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system.

Impact of a Government Shutdown on the Department of Homeland Security Workforce

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also issued a press release to address how a government shutdown will impact its facilities and workforce.

It says 185,000 frontline personnel will continue working without a paycheck, including First Responders, Law Enforcement, Security Analysts, Investigators, and Disaster Response Officials.

What could be compromised is the ability to respond to cyberattacks; protecting and saving lives on land, at sea, and in the air; securing our nation’s borders and critical infrastructure; deploying across the country to help Americans recover from disasters.

“Any lapse in federal funding would disrupt this vital work, leaving Americans less safe as a result,” the department says.

As the third largest department of the federal government, DHS is home to hundreds of thousands of individuals devoted to public service.

“A shutdown would affect every member of the DHS community in some way, putting a strain on our team members’ ability to make ends meet, put food on the table, and more,” the department said.

Seventy two percent of the DHS workforce would be required to work without pay

Nearly three in four DHS employees – more than 185,000 people – would be required to continue working through a shutdown without receiving a paycheck. Those working without pay include law enforcement officers, analysts, investigators, and disaster response officials conducting work such as:

Safeguarding and securing our borders;

Processing, detaining, and removing individuals that have unlawfully entered the United States;

Seizing illegal narcotics like fentanyl;

Identifying, disrupting, and dismantling criminal operations that smuggle weapons, drugs, and migrants;

Combating child exploitation and child predators;

Identifying and arresting human traffickers;

Conducting search and rescue operations;

Responding to natural disasters;

Preventing and coordinating responses to cyberattacks and threats to the federal government and other critical infrastructure; and

Protecting U.S. government leaders and foreign dignitaries.

MORE DETAIL ON THE IMPACTS:

Over 19,000 Unpaid U.S. Border Patrol Agents and 25,000 Unpaid Office of Field Operations Officers: CBP agents and officers working at over 300 ports of entry and protecting more than 6,000 miles of border under challenging circumstances would be required to continue performing their vital missions without pay.

Stopped Funding to Border Communities and Interior Cities: DHS provided over $770 million this year to support border & interior communities to cover costs associated with sheltering migrants in their cities. Recipients may be unable to draw down on a portion of the funds, and no new awards will be made under a shutdown.

Reduced Cybersecurity and Physical Security Support to the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure: During today’s heightened cyber threat environment, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) capacity to provide timely and actionable guidance to help partners defend their networks would be degraded. CISA would also be forced to suspend both physical and cybersecurity assessments for government and industry partners, including election officials as well as target rich, cyber poor sectors like water, K-12, and health care, which are prime targets for ransomware.

Hardship for nearly 40,000 Active Military Personnel: The dedicated men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard will only be compensated for their unpaid work if a specific appropriation is passed, unlike all other military service branches. Additionally, unlike civilian employees, they are not able to file for interim support such as unemployment benefits to supplement their income until an appropriation is passed. This creates the most significant hardship for the U.S. Coast Guard’s enlisted service members.

Reduced Readiness of Federal Law Enforcement: Certain Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) trainings for new public safety personnel and ongoing skills for public safety personnel would continue and have employees provide necessary duties without receiving pay. However, some basic training and most advanced training would be stopped until the government is funded. FLETC training personnel would be unable to travel to conduct expert training, and scheduled law enforcement training programs for state, local, and tribal agencies across the country would be suspended until a budget is passed. This will impact law enforcement readiness across the country.

Slowed Deployment of Advanced Security Technology at Airports: On average, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screens 2.5 million passengers per day, exceeding pre-pandemic travel volumes. If the government shuts down, air traffic controllers and TSA Officers would be required to work without pay—potentially leading to significant delays and longer wait times for travelers at airports across the country, based on what occurred during previous shutdowns. Additionally, a government shutdown could potentially delay the deployment of new security technology equipment to airports.

Threaten Long-Term Disaster Relief: This would be the first time that a shutdown coincides with depletion of the Disaster Relief Fund. FEMA would be forced to continue delaying support for community recovery to preserve resources for immediate life and safety concerns deployed in the wake of a catastrophic event—shifting disaster response burdens to the States, territories, Tribes, and local communities.

Long-term Impacts to Hiring and Onboarding: There would be serious delays in onboarding, disruptions in critical roles, and challenges in filling positions in both the short and long-term. As of September 18, 2023, DHS has issued and candidates have accepted nearly 2,500 tentative job offers. The onboarding process required to officially hire these new employees would be paused until the government reopens. This is particularly problematic ahead of the holiday travel season, where more TSA Officers will be needed to screen travelers.

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