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Next Interior Memos weekly digest, 2025-09-25

Personnel moves, known and new, are the main item this week.

Jacob Malcom

• 4 min read
Next Interior Memos weekly digest, 2025-09-25
People love national parks, and we need people to keep them available. But if the administration continues with its purge of the civil service, experiences and views like this won't be available to everyone. Photo Photo by Nicolasintravel / Unsplash

Some weeks we have longer lists of news tidbits, some weeks there are just a few items that cover so much ground they need more attention. This week is the latter (though we have a short list of other news).

Yesterday afternoon I got some information about Reductions-in-Force (RIFs - broad sets of terminations) at Interior and within just a couple of hours, the news was out with coverage from GovExec. That revelation was pushed down the page just a few hours later when the White House gave direction to agencies to prepare to carry out mass terminations with a government shutdown that is expected next Wednesday. Some folks have asked if Next Interior would make a statement about these items; I have talked with a few reporters, here’s basically what I said.

Unfortunately, the only reasonable response I can see to the Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on the rule of law is to stop them by shutting it all down.  

To be clear: the damage they want to do and will do is massive. Damage to our civil servants, to the mission of Interior and other agencies, damage to people everywhere who benefit from the federal government. But until the Executive Branch stops flagrantly violating the U.S. Constitution, seizing authorities granted solely to Congress, and breaking the law at every turn, they cannot be entrusted with taxpayer money.

We’ll have to keep reminding people so it’s not drowned out with lies or misdirection, but I think folks will understand that this is the doing of the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. They can readily solve this and not carry out RIFs or illegally fire people! But whether by terminating tens of thousands of federal employees illegally, forcing them out through intimidation, or using them as pawns to enforce their agenda of destruction, this Administration has shown nothing but disdain for the civil service and our democracy while their friends on the Hill have stood idly by. We can’t continue to fund this and we must insist on accountability.

The personnel actions at the Department of the Interior (and beyond) are surely illegal, and they’re bad business that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars, just as actions earlier this year already have. Critically, this will be a tragedy for the dedicated civil servants who will be harmed, and the work they do for our natural and cultural resources and science, and Tribes to whom our nation has deep moral and constitutional obligations.

My main request for you all in the coming days and weeks? Have deep compassion and empathy for the civil servants—and their families—who will be deeply harmed if this comes to fruition. If you see a chance to lend someone a hand, do it. The country needs them for our parks and wildlife and public lands, for energy and water, for science and data, for serving Tribes, and we can all be part of helping make that happen.

What else is going on?

What is coming?

  • In addition to the other potential personnel news for next week, we know the Deferred Resignation Program ends for most people next week (though many retirements will take place later in the year). We’re providing a series of social posts on LinkedIn with resources, events, and actions that may be of help; please feel free to use and share as you see fit!
  • On October 1 at 10am, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on a raft of bills. Some are directly relevant to Interior, like one on BLM travel management plans, some indirectly relevant, like the Roadless Area Conservation Act that would protect the Forest Service’s Inventoried Roadless Areas. Check it out if you can!

Action items

  • Remember, help support the people of Interior and beyond in the federal civil service: help directly, speak up for the civil service. Make a call!
  • Good, factual, honest report of issues that matter to Interior—like climate and conservation, energy and water, science and data, service to Tribes—is essential especially today. Given the note above about paying for news, consider if you can lend some support to operations like:
  • Are you from an Interior budget office, whether the Department’s or a bureaus? Interested in helping us with a small project on the mention above about how White House is hiding spending information? Get in touch! jmalcom@nextinterior.org.

Saying goodbye

A chestnut-colored chihuahua-beagle mix laying on grass, obviously smiling.
This is Zapus. She was a sweet and spunky cheagle who spent a lot of time out on Interior's lands and in its waters across the country. She passed on this week, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate her. Photo CC-BY-SA JMalcom 2025.