Making good on a promise vowed from the outset of the Oct. 1 government shutdown, President Donald Trump’s administration began issuing pink slips Friday to a “substantial” number of federal employees.
According to press reports, health, homeland security, education, energy and Treasury Department workers were among those targeted as Trump seeks to force Democrats to accept his fiscal budget demands.
There was no word from the administration on the impact to specific programs and agencies or how many workers will be let go or when they will lose their jobs.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, blamed House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, for the shutdown and ensuing layoffs.
“While Senator Schumer brags that ‘every day gets better for (Democrats) during this government shutdown, federal employees are losing their jobs or going without pay," Lummis said in a statement. "Democrats have repeatedly rejected our efforts to pass a clean (continuing resolution) and reopen the government seven times, and this is unfortunately what happens when Senate Democrats prioritize partisan politics and providing free healthcare to illegal aliens over the American people.”
Wyoming Impact
As of March, there were about 6,300 federal employees in Wyoming, with most working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Interior, which is responsible for the National Park Service and the Department of War.
The National Park Service reported that 8.1 million visitors to national parks in Wyoming spent about $1.2 billion in 2024.
The spending had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $1.5 billion. “Parks have inspired people for generations and offer unique experiences, for learning, recreation, and renewal,” said Brian Carlstrom, the National Park Service acting regional director. “Visitors come to parks for a variety of experiences and their spending supports the economies of gateway communities.
In 2023, outdoor recreation in Wyoming contributed $2.1 billion, 4.1 percent of the state’s gross domestic product, which is the fifth highest in the nation, according to a report from Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute at the University of Wyoming.
The windfall the state and neighboring communities derive from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and numerous wilderness areas could take a hit if the National Park Service substantially reduces its workforce and services,” said Alexander Specht, associate director of the University of Wyoming's Center for Business and Economic Analysis.
“When national parks are not operating normally it may dissuade people from visiting,” Specht, who has been monitoring the government shutdown and layoffs, said. “Local communities rely on tourism.”
‘They Are Extreme’
Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming could not be reached for comment about the layoffs. However, he blasted Democrats for the shutdown on Thursday.
‘“They’ve talked about having an orchestrated group of the far-left wing, the terrorist wing, of the Democrat Party organizing and orchestrating the shutdown,” he said. “This weakness defines today’s Democrat Party. They are radical, they are extreme, they are dangerous, they are scary, they are out of touch.”
Barrasso did not name any Democrats in his Thursday remarks. Cowboy State Daily asked his office exactly which ones he was referring to as part of the “terrorist wing,” and, whether he stood by the “terrorist” label.
Spokeswoman Laura Mengelkamp declined to identify anyone, saying only that Barrasso meant “the far-left activists who put the needs of illegal immigrants ahead of the needs of the American people.”
Though Mengelkamp did not refer to any specific issues, Republicans including Barrasso have said frequently in recent days that Democrats’ demands in the shutdown battle include giving free health care to illegal immigrants. Democrats vigorously deny that claim.
Republicans control the Senate but fall short of the supermajority needed to move spending bills — including the GOP’s stopgap legislation at issue now, which is called a continuing resolution, or CR.
The GOP-led House on Sept. 19 passed the CR on a nearly party-line vote. In the Senate, the Republicans hold 53 seats but need a supermajority of 60 votes to get it through.
Scott Schwebke can be reached at scott@cowboystatedaily.com.
