With threats of another federal government shutdown looming, Wyoming Republicans say Democrats will be to blame if Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are closed as a result.
A Jackson-based tour guide said he’s confident that visitation to the parks will continue regardless of a shutdown. But he’s more concerned about the long-term effects of more possible cuts to the National Park Service workforce.
A partial shutdown to the federal government could begin Oct. 1, unless President Donald Trump and both parties in Congress can come to terms on a budget deal.
If they don’t, the Trump administration said in a Wednesday memo from the Office of Management and Budget that federal agencies shouldn’t expect all their workers to come back.
"Once fiscal year 2026 appropriations are enacted, agencies should revise their RIFs (reduction in force notices) as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” the memo says.
It also claims that if there’s a shutdown, it’s because that’s what Democrats want.
"We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” the memo says.
We’ve Been Here Before
A 2025 government shutdown wouldn’t be the first for Taylor Phillips, owner of Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures.
He’s been in business since 2008, and takes 8,000 to 10,000 visitors through Grand Teton and Yellowstone each year.
He told Cowboy State Daily that he went through his first federal government shutdown a decade ago, and “the impacts were significant.”
“We were not allowed to operate in the park at that time. We were refunding money, and we were cancelling tours,” he added.
There have been other government shutdowns since, during which the National Park Service (NPS) allowed him to continue operating in the parks, he said.
So, if Trump and Congress can’t cut a deal and there’s another shutdown on Oct. 1, he doesn’t expect it to be any different.
“I don’t think the current administration would want to curtail retail business in the national parks,” he said.
As far as his customers getting worried, Phillips said some “folks are starting to hesitate” about booking tours, but there haven’t been a large number of cancellations like he saw 10 years ago.
It’s The Democrats
Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis said that if a shutdown does end up hurting the parks, Congressional Democrats will be to blame for refusing to compromise on the budget.
In a statement made on the U.S. Senate floor and shared with Cowboy State Daily, Barrasso said that families from all over the nation and world plan vacations to Wyoming to see the Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks, which are at risk of being shut down.
“Under a Schumer Shutdown, those plans will be forced to be canceled,” Barrasso said, referencing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York.
“Local businesses like hotels and restaurants lose revenue,” he said. "Park staff are reduced to skeleton crews. Trash piles up. That’s not stewardship, that’s neglect.
“This is what Democrats are risking. This is what Democrats threaten with their reckless talk of a shutdown,” Barrasso added. "The American people should not be forced to pay the cost of Democrats’ political games. Shutdowns are political acts. Political acts are choices. Congress has the tools to avoid this chaos. It requires cooperation from the Democrats.”
Lummis also criticized Schumer and the Democrats in a statement emailed to Cowboy State Daily.
“Chuck Schumer and Democrats can prevent a government shutdown by simply voting for a bipartisan and clean continuing resolution that has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives — and which all of them supported 13 times while they had the majority,” she said.
“Chuck Schumer is prioritizing his progressive base's demand to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants over keeping National Parks and essential government services open for American citizens,” Lummis added. "I hope Democrats stop this political posturing and join us in doing the right thing to keep our government open."
A request for comment from Republican Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman wasn’t answered by publication time.
"Over the past 10 fiscal years, Congress has consistently passed Continuing Resolutions (CRs) on or by Sept. 30 on a bipartisan basis,” the memo says. "Unfortunately, congressional Democrats are signaling that they intend to break this bipartisan trend and shut down the government in the coming days over a series of insane demands, including $1 trillion in new spending."
Staff Cuts A Lingering Worry
While he isn’t too concerned about another government shutdown, Phillips said he is worried about more possible cuts to the federal workforce, including the NPS.
He sent a letter to Wyoming’s Congressional delegation expressing those concerns.
On Thursday afternoon, he said that Barrasso’s office sent him confirmation that the letter had been received and forwarded to the senator, but he hadn’t yet gotten responses from Lummis’ or Hageman’s offices.
Phillips said that this year, the numbers of visitors have remained robust. There’s been a shift toward more American visitors and fewer tourists from other countries, though he’s not sure why that is.
Regardless of shifts in demographics, the sheer number of tourists isn’t showing any signs of slacking, he said.
So, as he sees it, it would be a terrible idea to cut park staff when that could dampen the quality of visitors’ experiences, even as business continues to boom.
“We need well-staffed visitor centers and campgrounds,” he said. “We need people to control traffic, to make sure people and wildlife are safe during ‘bear jams.’”
He said that many of the federal workers he knows are still concerned about losing their jobs in the parks. Others have already left their jobs “because of the uncertainty."
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
