KTVQ: Protests grow across Montana as National Park Service layoffs raise concerns

Days after Ryan Zinke jeopardized health care coverage by voting for House Republicans’ cruel budget blueprint, Montanans held a protest to hold the vulnerable Republican accountable for caving to his extreme party bosses’ proposed cuts to our country’s national parks.

But that’s not all: as vulnerable House Republicans like Zinke face heat back home over the GOP’s agenda, the NRCC is doling out advice to “stop holding in-person town halls amid a wave of angry backlash.”

DCCC Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty:
“Montanans are fed up with Ryan Zinke’s constant siding with extreme party bosses who are telling him to ignore his constituents. With each passing day, Zinke’s extremist loyalties will prove perilous for him come next November.”

In case you missed it:

KTVQ: Protests grow across Montana as National Park Service layoffs raise concerns
Isabel Spartz | March 02, 2025

KEY POINTS:

• Hundreds gathered at the North entrance of Yellowstone National Park Saturday afternoon to protest layoffs within the National Park Service, an action protesters say could have lasting effects on the future of America’s national parks.

• Approximately 3,400 U.S. Forest Service and 1,000 National Park Service employees were recently fired. In the Custer Gallatin district, 32 employees were laid off and only five people remain in their positions. While the full impact of the layoffs remains uncertain, local residents, particularly those in areas near Yellowstone, have expressed concern over the long-term consequences, especially if fewer people decide to visit if park closures happen.

• “I’m surprised that none of our Montana representatives in Washington are standing up for this. Our public parks, we have two of the world gems in Montana,” said Osterloth.

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