Philly’s National Park Service workers are understaffed and overworked

On a recent Monday morning in May, visitors lined up outside the building that houses the Liberty Bell at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia throughout the morning.

They started to filter in once the park opened at 9 a.m. Nearby, overgrown grass was being mowed. By noon, the line stretched down the side of the building, with roughly 70 visitors awaiting their turn. A sign at the end indicated a 15-minute wait for a glimpse of the bell.

Pennsylvania has 703 National Park Service employees statewide, compared with 233 in New Jersey and 16 in Delaware. Just seven other states and Washington, D.C., have more National Park Service employees than Pennsylvania.

For many of them, working at a national park is more than just a job. Many NPS employees begin their careers at Independence, sometimes in seasonal positions, before gaining tenure or moving onto other famous parks, like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, said David Fitzpatrick, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 270, which represents park service employees in Philadelphia.

“People go to work for the park service not necessarily for the money, but [because] they’re dedicated to preserving history and interpreting history,” Fitzpatrick said.

Independence’s busy season coincides with the warm weather months, which beckon more tourism and school field trips. But this year, the busy season looks different.

Administrative staff have left the National Park Service’s regional office at 12th and Market Streets, taking deferred resignation offers. Meanwhile, at Independence National Historical Park, several buildings remain closed due to lack of funding and staff to operate them.

More workers are needed to have the park fully open and running, said Ed Welch, president of AFGE Local 2058, which represents park employees.

At the NPS regional office, about 25 employees out of 78 total have taken offers to resign or retire this year, union steward Donna Brown said.

Remaining employees have been picking up the work of those who have left, even if it falls outside their expertise, Brown said, and it is not a sustainable situation.

“Short term, it‘s like, you know, putting tape on a dam. You’re gonna try to hold up as much as you can. But long term, it‘s not possible,” she said.

There are currently 31 vacancies for permanent positions at Independence, according to internal data obtained by The Inquirer, 11 of which are in facilities management roles, such as custodians, preservation work leaders, or electricians. Prior to the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency, Independence was already struggling with staffing issues.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s proposed federal budget slashes $1.2 billion from the National Park Service.

“I‘m sad for the park service,” Welch said. “The administration doesn’t understand what we do, and if they did, they’d supply us with the resources we actually need, and not continue to threaten depleting us.”

A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior said Monday that the department and the National Park Service are “working to rightsize the federal workforce, cut bureaucratic waste, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently” and said officials are “streamlining operations” and “reducing unnecessary positions” to strengthen the government and make it more effective.

The National Park Service in Pennsylvania includes the home of Edgar Allan Poe, which has been undergoing renovations, Gloria Dei Church, and the home of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, as well as Independence and Valley Forge National Historical Park, along with several trails and other sites statewide.

In 2023, roughly 3 million visitors spent roughly $204 million while on trips to Independence. And nearly 1.9 million visitors spent more than $27 million while on trips to Valley Forge, according to NPS data.

The Trump administration has proposed a $900 million cut, reduction, or consolidation of the Department of Interior’s budget allocated to operations of the National Park System for fiscal year 2026. Also proposed are a reduction, cut, or consolidation of $158 million from the NPS Historic Preservation Fund, $73 million from NPS construction, and $77 million from NPS National Recreation and Preservation.

The administration says the budget would continue to support the operations of “many national treasures” but suggested several national parks would be better categorized and managed as state-level parks.

The Trump administration said in its budget request that “there is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management to ensure the long-term health and sustainment of the National Park system.”

Toward the end of April, NPS employees were among the federal workers asked to submit their resumes amid plans for “workforce optimization.” Workers were given roughly five days to respond.

Meanwhile, they are still expected to submit a list each week of what they have accomplished, Welch said — an initiative from the Office of Personnel Management.

The DOI spokesperson said the department will continue to work with the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government‘s human resources agency, and other agencies to “implement cost-saving measures.”

“To work well, to perform, you have to be happy, you have to enjoy what you’re doing,” Welch said. “There’s a horrible oppressiveness in government now, and it‘s unnecessary.”

At Independence, two probationary employees were fired in February as the Trump administration set out to cut nearly 1,000 of those positions at the National Park Service overall.

Brown said at least four were cut from the administrative office as well. One has since been rehired at Independence, and three have returned to the regional office.

As he gathered with federal workers for a protest in February, Welch called the layoffs of probationary workers “abuse.”

“Who among us now would advise their children to join the federal workforce?” Welch said, standing alongside protesters in freezing temperatures. “What will be the future of the federal workforce?”

In early May, media reports said roughly 1,500 layoffs were expected at the National Park Service as the agency finalized plans for its reduction in force. But mass government layoffs appear to be on hold for now after a judge ordered a two-week pause on May 9.

Even with that fleeting relief from the threat of mass layoffs, employees seem to be “on edge,” Welch said, “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Workers at Independence are already taking on more tours — five or six a day — due to low staffing, Fitzpatrick said.

They “can’t get a day off,” he said.

The park needs 10 to 15 more rangers or guides to function fully, Welch said. “We’re running the place on a shoestring,” he said.

Many buildings have already been closed to the public for years, including a reconstructed house of where Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, the Second Bank of the United States, and the Bishop White House. They have been closed because NPS has lacked funding for needed repairs and staff, Welch said.

In 2024, The Inquirer reported that needed repair and maintenance work at Independence added up to $199 million.

Even with the threat of eventual layoffs looming, some hiring is taking place. Independence is getting six seasonal employees to handle the expected influx of summer visitors this year, compared with zero last year, Welch said. Additionally, a new ranger was expected to join this month as well as two to three new guides, Welch said.

NPS has said it intends to hire up to 7,700 seasonal employees this year overall — more than the recent three-year average.

“That‘s because they saw the writing on the wall that these parks would have to close in summer without staffing,” said Welch. The added help is good, he said, but won’t last past the end of the season.

“They’ll go and then we gotta, you know, go back to running on a wing and a prayer,” he said.

Amid all the uncertainty for parks employees, the clock is ticking down to the 250th anniversary of America‘s independence. Historical sites, like Independence, are poised to be a focal point in Philadelphia as the city prepares for a slate of high-profile events in 2026.

In a March executive order, Trump called on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to provide “sufficient funding, as available,” for restoring Independence Hall and improving the park’s infrastructure by July 4, 2026, though few other details were provided.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.) said layoffs “would make it worse” for the parks’ staffing and funding levels, and would threaten Philly’s economy and the celebration of the semiquincentennial.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who has been involved in preparations for the 250th, said it is confusing that Trump has called for restoring Independence Hall while potential staffing cuts loom.

“On one hand, we’re saying we want to fund stuff, we’re saying we want people to come visit these amazing spaces, and then, on the other hand, we’re firing people who take care of these amazing spaces,” Thomas said.

Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes Independence, said any struggles endured at the parks could present a “major hit” to the city’s tourism industry.

“Everybody wants to see Philadelphia, where the country was made, how that happened, and where it happened,” Squilla said. “It would be sad and a shame for the people if that can’t happen.”

Even accounting for any potential staffing hardships next year, Fitzpatrick said, employees are “certainly not going to let the public see that our morale has been destroyed.”

“We’re going to put our best face out there,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’re going to do our jobs. We’re going to give the greatest tours. And 2026 is going to be a wonderful experience for everybody that comes here.”