Lack of specificity over how the Interior Department would spend funding President Donald Trump has requested for Fiscal 2026 has raised questions in and outside the National Park Service over whether it was done intentionally so Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would receive a lump sum that he could distribute as he chooses.

National Parks are a beautiful reflection of our country’s magnificent national and cultural heritage.

More than 90 percent of Biscayne National Park is under water, so no one would miss it if it was dropped from the National Park System, right? You might say the same for Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores, which are located on barrier islands that sea-level rise eventually is going to submerge, so why should they remain in the system? Bering Land Bridge National Preserve attracted fewer than 3,000 visitors last year, so why is the National Park Service paying staff to keep it open? Close it!

A reduction-in-force coming to the National Park Service within the next two weeks has been described internally as being "deep and blunt," according to a social media post.