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A looming government shutdown could mean national parks would close. But now, for the first time, it could also mean more fired federal workers throughout Wyoming, including within the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) and Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
National outlets are reporting an internal White House memo has directed federal agencies to consider firing employees, dubbed a “reduction in force,” in addition to furloughs if the government shuts down on Oct. 1.
The BTNF and GTNP did not respond to requests for details of potential workforce impacts by publication.
In Washington D.C., Democrats are holding out in an attempt to negotiate an extension of government healthcare subsidies. The average person who buys Affordable Care Act insurance will see a 75% increase in their premiums soon if Republicans don’t change course, according to a KFF analysis.
Former Bridger-Teton National Forest Supervisor Tricia O’Connor led the forest during the last shutdown, the country’s longest ever, that lasted about a month from late 2018 into 2019.
She said this potential government shutdown is “unprecedented.”
“And I do think it’s even more taxing on employees,” O’Connor said.
That’s given the added uncertainty. Typically, during a shutdown, employees considered non-essential are furloughed. That means they’re either told not to work for a period of time or, once it ends, Congress agrees to backpay them for the time they did work.
This time around, given the memo, it’s possible that they’re fired altogether, piling onto the Trump Administration and DOGE’s efforts earlier this year, which cut federal staff across the Cowboy State.
“Even in the past [when] there was no guarantee employees were going to get paid,” O’Connor said, “everyone thought that was going to happen, but there was still a lot of fear and uncertainty out there.”
O’Connor says firing federal workers would be “devastating to the Forest Service.” One Bridger-Teton employee not authorized to speak publicly told KHOL that forest employees are “very stressed” about the possibility of a shutdown.
This one feels different for Scott Kosiba, too. He leads Friends of the Bridger-Teton.
He said he’s been working on contingency plans to keep toilets pumped if Bridger-Teton staff is furloughed or fired. But he’ll have to pull all of his staff and volunteers, who support the forest service staff, from the field.
This article has been updated to reflect that Kosiba’s Friends of the Bridger-Teton would have to pull all its staff and volunteers, not just some and the possibility of National Parks closing — Ed.
