Legislation would restore laid off National Park and U.S. Forest Service workers who were illegally fired by the Trump admin
U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Mark Kelly, Tina Smith, Ruben Gallego, Jeanne Shaheen, and Chris Van Hollen introduced the Protect Our Parks Act of 2025 (https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Protect-our-Parks-Act-of-2025.pdf) and the Save Our Forests Act of 2025 (https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Save-Our-Forests-Act-of-2025.pdf) to restore the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) workers who were illegally fired by the Trump administration to make sure our national parks and forests remain accessible, safe, and well-maintained.
“We’re all for rooting out real government waste and abuse,” said Hickenlooper. “The Trump administration’s mass layoffs of public servants who care for our public lands and help prevent wildfires is not the way to do it. Colorado – and our economy – depend on the people who carry out this vital work.”
Specifically, the Protect Our Parks Act of 2025 and the Save Our Forests Act of 2025 will:
Restore staffing levels at the NPS and USFS to improve visitor experience and ensure the safety and upkeep of public lands
Rehire recently terminated employees to address staffing shortages
Keep critical projects moving, including those funded under the Great American Outdoors Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
Following the Trump administration’s reckless decision to fire 3,400 USFS employees, Hickenlooper sounded the alarm (https://x.com/SenatorHick/status/1890456297197220238) and called (https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/USFS-firing-letter.pdf) on Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to reinstate them. He also wrote a letter (https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-colleagues-sound-alarm-over-national-park-staffing-shortages-due-to-trumps-hiring-freeze/) to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to resolve the staffing shortages caused by the mass layoffs of 2,300 NPS workers.
Hickenlooper invited Amelia Hoffman, a veteran who was recently fired from her jobs as a USFS worker in Fort Collins, as his guest to President Trump’s Joint Address to uplift her story showing how these dangerous cuts impact Colorado.
Source: Office of Senator John Hickenlooper
