Trump institutes hiring freeze, could impact Forest, Park Service this summer

President Trump Monday instituted a hiring freeze on federal workers, a move that could impact Glacier National Park and the Forest Service, just as both agencies prepare to hire for the summer seasons.

It’s not clear yet whether Trump’s hiring freeze extends to seasonal employees. If it does, it could have a crippling effect on Glacier, which relies on temporary help to run entrance stations, campgrounds and a host of other Park functions during the summer months.

But Trump’s order may have given the agencies an out for seasonal employees.

“Accordingly, this memorandum does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs and to ensure that essential services are not interrupted and national security is not affected,” The New York Times reported Trump wrote in the order.

This is not the first time a president has implemented a hiring freeze when coming into office. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter both implemented hiring freezes as well.

The last time Glacier had a hiring freeze for permanent employees was a few years ago when the federal government had sequestration, in effect cutting the Park’s budget by about 10 percent.

Contacted Monday, Park Service spokesman Tom Crosson said the Service was still investigating whether the freeze extended to seasonal employees.

Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines supported the freeze, but Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, had reservations about its impact on the Veterans Administration.

“We know public union bosses are going to do everything they can to fight this, but Montanans know that we don’t need a larger federal government with more bureaucracy. We don’t need more federal employees with less accountability,” Daines said. “The federal government must become more efficient and accountable to taxpayers. Everything should be on the table.”

“This executive order will make it harder for veterans to get in the door at the VA and receive the timely benefits to which they are entitled, and that is totally unacceptable. The VA is already struggling to keep the promises our country has made to the folks who served because VA health clinics and hospitals across the country are understaffed, and VA staff are too often unable to process their disability, education and survivor benefits in a timely manner. I therefore call on the President to immediately exempt the entire VA as well as any veterans looking for work from his executive order,” Tester said in a statement.

The freeze does not extend to law enforcement. The freeze, even if it doesn’t include seasonal employees will likely have at least some effect. Glacier always generally has a few job openings on its permanent staff, noted spokeswoman Lauren Alley.