ST. LOUIS – As Donald Trump continues to push for federal workforce cuts during his second presidential term, uncertainty looms over the future of federal employees involved with the Gateway Arch.
The Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration initiative known as DOGE and led by Elon Musk, aims to reduce government spending and consolidate the federal workforce.
Tens of thousands of federal workers have reportedly accepted buyouts, while a memo issued Wednesday to federal agency leaders provided further guidance on conducting workforce reductions. These directives have already impacted some U.S. national parks, leading to reduced operational hours, cutbacks in services, and staff layoffs.
The Gateway Arch National Park, which includes St. Louis’ iconic monument, is not immune to challenges amid this broader federal overhaul. There are now renewed concerns about staffing, visitor services and overall park operations.
What could federal workforce cuts mean for the Gateway Arch experience? Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, shared more insight in a one-on-one Zoom interview Thursday with FOX 2.
Q & A’s
Question: What does the Trump administration’s push to reduce the federal workforce mean for the Gateway Arch and its partners?
Answer: “Regardless of what administration is in office, our job at Gateway Arch Park Foundation is to support our National Park, Gateway Arch National Park, as its official philanthropic partner. We’re here to do that for the long term, no matter what happens.”
“We’re of course concerned when you know there’s potential for loss of staff at the park. Even prior to these changes, the National Park Service as a whole, and certainly our park, was short-staffed. So when you eliminate staff from a situation where it’s already short-staffed, you’re exacerbating an existing problem.”
“The foundation already funds four positions at the park. Two of those are educational rangers that help take school groups on field trips, and we’re going to continue doing that. But what we worry about is the potential of when staff is cut at the Arch from the National Park Service; that means there’s a potential for loss of visitor hours. The visitor experience could diminish. The folks in the green and gray, the rangers for the National Park Service, serve a very important role at the park in serving visitors. And the Arch has a huge economic impact for the St. Louis region, almost half a billion dollars every year in economic impact. When you’re going to see potential for that being harmed, we get very concerned.”
Question: What does, or what could, the situation look like with federal jobs involved with the Arch and potential layoffs?
Answer: “We’re concerned about workforce cuts, whether that’s the ability of the park to hire seasonal rangers that are really important for serving visitors at peak tourism season or the freezing of vacant positions. All of this has a real effect on the park’s operation and the way that they serve visitors.”
“We’re certainly concerned about that and hope that their staffing can be maintained and restored. We are all for efficiency. I think we certainly support that and ways to do that. But cutting staff at an organization that is already short-staffed, I don’t believe accomplishes that.”
Question: What kind of impact do federal workers have on operations and visitor experience at the Gateway Arch?
Answer: “The National Park Service employees, the folks in the green and gray, they do these jobs because they love them. They love serving visitors. They love the special places. They passionately protect them. So when you’re losing those staff members, it’s a big impact to the operation of the park. It’s certainly of concern to us, and I know organizations like ours across the country that serve national parks.”
Question: How does the Arch and its partners accept the reality of what has already happened with the workforce cuts but also prepare for what may transpire in the future?
Answer: “There are a lot of unknowns right now, so it’s hard to plan for the unknown. Our job is to support this park and its visitors. And we’re going to continue to do. We’ve found new ways throughout our existence to support the park, and we’ll continue to do that. But there’s a lot that we don’t know right now, and there’s a lot that can change. It’s difficult to plan based on that, but we are going to react thoughtfully and figure out the best way that we can support our parks in partnership with them and what they need.”
Question: What can the general public do to support the Gateway Arch or bring more awareness to the ongoing challenges?
Answer: “I would say support your national parks. Let people know that you love them. That you value the employees that are there serving the American public every day. Visit your parks. Show that you love them by going there. Come to the Arch. Come to the museum. The Old Courthouse is going to reopen on May 3. Come visit the Old Courthouse.”
“You can support organizations like ours, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. We are entirely funded through donations. So if you love your national parks, I’d encourage you to become a member of Gateway Arch Park Foundation so that we can continue to support our park through good times and difficult times.”