The National Park Service has lost close to 25% of its permanent staff positions since 2025, driven by mass firings and incentivized resignations under the Trump administration, which also cut millions of dollars from the agency’s budget. Yosemite withdrew its pilot peak-summer reservation system this year, resulting in traffic jams, filled parking lots, long lines, and illegal parking on sensitive terrain during Memorial Day weekend; the park typically receives more than 4 million annual visitors, and the Fourth of July holiday is expected to draw hundreds of thousands more nationwide. Nationwide, NPS recorded roughly 323 million visits in 2025, while the administration has removed climate-focused web pages and altered historical exhibits to downplay slavery, racism, and the contributions of people of color, women, and Indigenous nations.