Joshua Tree National Park now an epicenter of concern, confusion

Visitors should keep in mind that the Park Service was already struggling when the shutdown began, said Krystian Lahage, the public policy officer for the Mojave Desert Land Trust. The Trump administration's initiatives to reduce the size of the federal government have resulted in the departure of 24% of the Park Service's permanent staff, and in May, the passage of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" cut $267 million in Park Service funding that had been previously allocated for staffing.