Letter to Secretary Burgum Encouraging the Secretary to Keep the National Parks Open and Accessible During the Lapse in Appropriations

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-05) today sent the attached letter to Secretary Burgum encouraging the Secretary to keep the National Parks open and accessible during the lapse in appropriations. The letter is attached:

(click for pdf)

October 1^st, 2025

The Honorable Doug Burgum

Secretary of the Interior

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 C Street Northwest

Washington D.C. 20240

Dear Secretary Burgum,

Given the unfortunate reality of the government shutdown, I am writing in the hope that you will seek to minimize the damage done to our National Parks and economy by allowing the national parks to remain open.

In past government shutdowns, the National Park Service ordered all visitors to leave Yosemite National Park, causing lodges and concessionaires to lay off employees and close. This cruel and unnecessary choice devastated all the vendors, concessionaires, lodge-keepers, and shopkeepers in Yosemite's surrounding communities, which depend on the Yosemite remaining open for their livelihoods. This is especially cruel because, unlike government employees, employees of private businesses that depend on Yosemite do not receive backpay from lost revenue that occurs during the government shutdown. In contrast, during the 2018 shutdown the park was allowed to remain open, and while there were challenges, the decision prevented the widespread economic challenges that had occurred in previous closures.

Additionally, in past shutdowns there were extremely dire reports of irresponsible individuals who were producing uncollected buildups of garbage and even human waste. Many park rangers believe the deterioration of the National Parks that will occur during a shutdown poses a threat to public health and safety. The Antideficiency Act, which generally prohibits agencies from continued operation in the absence of appropriations, makes an exception for "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property," and I believe the possibility of these events occurring again presents a clear risk to public safety and to federal property.

Accordingly, the collection of garbage and the servicing of restrooms certainly falls within the actions the National Park Service can take during the current lapse of appropriations. I therefore urgently request that you invoke this exception to the Antideficiency Act immediately so that the public can continue to exercise its right to access public lands safely until appropriations can be made.