Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) at an Event in Portland Several Years Ago.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) warned the Trump adminisration that its ill-conceived hiring federal freeze will jeopardize National Park Service (NPS) operations in national parks like Acadia.  Pingree called on Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to immediately resume all seasonal hiring for the NPS. She emphasized that the seasonal workforce is essential to safety and successfully operating parks for more than 325 million annual visitors.

“Seasonal workers provide an important function throughout the National Park system, from collecting entrance fees to maintaining visitor amenities, such as campsites and bathrooms, to providing education and protecting public safety,” Pingree wrote.  “I am acutely aware of the ongoing challenge to provide sufficient resources for the parks.  In my home state of Maine, Acadia National Park annually collects $12 milion of revenue from entrance fees.  Due to the hiring freeze, dozens of seasonal placements for fee collections were rescinded.  The same thing is happening in parks across the country.”

Pingree’s letter to Secretary Burgum dated February 12 also said:  “Foregoing collection of entrance fees means that Congress will have to appropriate half of a billion dollars to make up for the shortfall.  Perversely, you are increasing costs for the taxpayer and adding to the deficit with this hiring freeze.”

Congresswoman Pingree is a House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member.

“This blogger continues to wonder how hiring freezes like this one by the Trump administration lowers inflation and consequently the cost of groceries and housing as Trump pledged to do as one of his campaign promises?  Any ideas on this?”