Massive job cuts anticipated at Interior Department and National Park Service immediately

The U.S. Department of the Interior is currently undergoing a significant consolidation effort, with potential layoffs looming for thousands of employees across various bureaus.

According to reports, the Interior Department has frozen all personnel actions, including name changes, promotions, and reassignments, in anticipation of the consolidation and subsequent layoffs. Notices for the Reduction-in-Force (RIF) are expected to be sent to employees within 10 days, with the first round of RIFs anticipated on or around May 15.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed the consolidation plan in a memorandum. Tyler Hassen, the assistant secretary for policy, management, and budget, is leading the consolidation effort. The exact contours of who would be eligible for the third deferred resignation offer are still being determined, but a high uptake on this offer could potentially obviate the need for additional RIFs.

The Bureau of Reclamation is targeting around 100 to 150 employees for layoffs, while the U.S. Geological Survey is expected to lay off around 1,000 employees, focused on its Ecosystems Mission Area. Approximately 1,500 employees at the National Park Service (NPS) are also expected to receive RIF notices.

Groups like the National Parks Conservation Association have threatened to sue the Interior Department if it follows through on its plans. If the Interior Department does wipe out certain directorates, individual parks would also see direct impacts.

At NPS, only 5% of employees have opted into a "deferred resignation program", leading to a more significant expected RIF for the agency. The NPS' Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, and Natural Resource Stewardship and Science directorates are expected to be heavily impacted, with the vast majority of staff being laid off. These divisions are made up of hundreds of biologists, archaeologists, geologists, historians, and other scientists and specialists who help preserve and understand resources within the parks.

Other components, such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, are also expected to experience layoffs. A second round of RIFs is expected in at least some parts of the Interior Department in mid-June, and a third deferred resignation offer is under discussion between the two rounds of RIFs.

The Interior Department's consolidation and subsequent layoffs are part of a larger trend in government reorganisation. As reported by Government Executive, the department is consolidating functions across the department to improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, the impact on employees and the services they provide remains a contentious issue.

Massive job cuts anticipated at Interior Department and National Park Service immediately