As the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week, court documents show almost 200 Colorado-based positions at the Interior Department are on the chopping block.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration laid off about 4,000 federal workers in at least seven agencies in an attempt to further slash the size of the federal government.
The so-called reduction in force is currently paused; a judge issued a temporary restraining order after two unions that represent federal workers filed suit.
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
But a document filed from the Interior Department’s head of human resources, Rachel Borra, outlines where the proposed layoffs will hit in that agency.
According to the filing, the Bureau of Land Management would lose the many positions in Colorado.
The BLM’s National Operations Center in Denver, which provides technical and operational support to the agency and stakeholders would see 87 out of 177 jobs cut.
Meanwhile, the BLM’s Colorado State Office, which oversees activities from oil and gas leasing to outdoor recreation opportunities, would lose 33 out of its 595 positions.
Interior plans to cut 40 out of 224 jobs at the Denver Service Center of the National Park Service, which works on planning, design and construction project management for the NPS.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Fort Collins Science Center, which develops and disseminates information and provides data on biological resources, would also take a big hit, losing 39 out of 69 jobs — more than half its staff.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse called the layoffs “illegal” and “acts of retribution.”
“The Trump administration’s unlawful and politically motivated attacks on workers at our land management agencies — the BLM, USGS, and elsewhere — will inflict direct harm on both these civil servants and all Coloradans who treasure our lands and water. It is shameful,” he said in a statement.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s district includes the Denver Federal Center, where some of the employees slated for layoffs work. She pointed out that many federal workers have spent their entire careers serving the country and now are working without pay and being subjected to mass firings.
“They are also our neighbors and friends who have bills to pay and families to support. Trump is unhinged and the lawlessness of his administration is going to be detrimental to Colorado,” she said in a statement.
Senate Democrats have blocked a House-passed short term spending bill from advancing in that chamber to try to force action on rising health care costs.
In total, the Department of the Interior plans to lay off just over 2,000 jobs across 89 areas, offices that include both union and non-union employees. But that’s on hold as many of the divisions have employees covered by a union, including the two that initially filed the suit.
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.