‘I lost my dream job,' Buffalo National River positions part of presidential budget cuts
This past weekend the Buffalo National River Visitors Center at Buffalo Point was closed as the park scrambled to overcome four team members suddenly terminated because of how recently they were hired.
Experienced workers, not just rookies, get cut as Trump slashes probationary employees
'I lost my dream job yesterday,' was the first line of a post former Buffalo National River Ranger Stacy Ramsey shared online Saturday. Millions of people have seen the post since.
She continued that an email on Valentine's Day broke her heart.
'The word 'termination' was in the subject line, and of course that stopped me in my tracks,' Ramsey said.
Ramsey immediately contacted her supervisor about the email to see if she could do anything, but not even he was aware then of her position and others being eliminated.
Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come
The one thing they had in common was being hired to their current position within the past two years. Ramsey had worked other roles within the park for the past five years.
'Without review of the positions, without determining if those positions were important or critical roles or without plans of filling the gaps left by those vacancies,' Ramsey explained.
The Trump administration defended the move in a statement saying in part the president, 'will continue to protect America's abundant natural resources while streamlining federal agencies to better serve the American people.'
Federal workers protest job cuts in 'Not Our President's Day' rally
Some terminated employees say they plan to file a class action lawsuit against what happened. Ramsey said that she is undecided as to whether she would join the lawsuit.
Impacts have already been seen at some parks where decisions will need to be made about operating hours, public safety, sanitation, resource protection, etc.
'The decision was made by someone who probably never visited Buffalo National River, by someone who has probably never visited Arkansas, so the park services employees at Buffalo National River, they were caught off-guard just as much as I was,' Ramsey said. 'I loved my job.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
9 minutes ago
- NBC News
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration's lawsuit against Chicago over its sanctuary city policies
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration that sought to block the enforcement of several "sanctuary policies" in Illinois that restricted the ability of local officials to aid federal immigration authorities in detainment operations. In a 64-page decision, District Court Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins, a Biden appointee, granted a motion by the state of Illinois to dismiss the case after determining the United States lacks standing to sue over the sanctuary policies. The judge noted in the ruling that Illinois' decision to enact the sanctuary laws are protected by the 10th amendment, which declares that any powers not specifically given to the federal government, or denied to the states, by the Constitution, are retained by the states. 'The Sanctuary Policies reflect Defendants' decision to not participate in enforcing civil immigration law—a decision protected by the Tenth Amendment and not preempted by the [Immigration and Nationality Act],' the judge wrote. 'Because the Tenth Amendment protects Defendants' Sanctuary Policies, those Policies cannot be found to discriminate against or regulate the federal government.' The federal judge wrote that granting the administration's request would create an "end-run around the Tenth Amendment." 'It would allow the federal government to commandeer States under the guise of intergovernmental immunity—the exact type of direct regulation of states barred by the Tenth Amendment.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker praised the dismissal, which he said will ensure state law enforcement is "not carrying out the Trump administration's unlawful policies or troubling tactics." "As state law allows, Illinois will assist the federal government when they follow the law and present warrants to hold violent criminals accountable. But what Illinois will not do is participate in the Trump administration's violations of the law and abuses of power," Pritzker said in a statement. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump Justice Department sued the state of Illinois and Cook County, the home of Chicago, in February for policies it argued infringed on the ability of federal authorities to enforce immigration laws, the first lawsuit by the administration aimed specifically at targeting "sanctuary jurisdictions," a label applied to states, cities, counties or municipalities that establish laws to prevent or limit local officials from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. In the 22-page lawsuit, filed days after Attorney General Pam Bondi was confirmed by the Senate, the Justice Department sought to block state, city and county ordinances that prohibit local law enforcement from assisting the federal government with civil immigration enforcement absent a criminal warrant. Bondi said the policies "obstruct" the federal government. 'The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government's enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,' the lawsuit indicates. The administration has taken similar action to target sanctuary jurisdictions across the country, including a lawsuit this week against New York City, which was described by the Justice Department as 'the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country's immigration laws' in a complaint filed on Thursday. The administration filed a separate lawsuit targeting New York state in February over it's 'Green Light Law,' which enables undocumented immigrants to apply for noncommercial driver's licenses and bars state officials from turning over that data to federal immigration authorities. The Justice Department in June filed a complaint against Los Angeles for immigration policies it argued interfere and discriminate against federal immigration agents by treating them differently from other law enforcement agents in the state. The suit came as Trump administration officials increasingly sparred with California Democratic leaders after immigration detainment efforts in the state led to clashes between protesters and federal authorities, and resulted in the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops. In January, Trump signed an executive order directing Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure sanctuary jurisdictions 'do not receive access to federal funds' and to consider pursuing criminal or civil penalties if localities 'interfere with the enforcement of Federal law.' A federal judge in April blocked the effort to withhold federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions, finding that Trump's order violated the Constitution's separation of powers principles. That judge blocked an earlier effort by Trump in 2017.
CBS News
9 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump and Newsom have made competing claims about California gas prices. We checked the facts.
Californians are bracing for higher gas prices following an increase to the gas excise tax and regulatory changes to the state's fuel standards that went into effect on July 1. In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office published a series of fact checks on its website, aimed at countering what the governor has called a "concerted misinformation campaign" about the state's fuel costs. The effort comes as President Trump continues to blame California's environmental regulations and taxes for what he has described as the state's exorbitant gas prices. CBS News examined claims from the governor and president about the state's gas prices. Mr. Trump cited incorrect figures, and while Newsom's "fact checks" mostly hold up, some omit key context or rely on outdated data. Here's a breakdown of the findings. During a recent White House breakfast, Mr. Trump said, "Gas has gone to the lowest level in decades and you're seeing $1.99, $1.98. And I saw $1.95 at certain states," but in California, "You're at $6, $7, they just add taxes." Both claims are false. GasBuddy, a company that tracks gas prices nationwide, told CBS News that no state has averaged between $1.95 to $1.99 per gallon at any point this year. Auto club AAA also confirmed that no state average has fallen below $2. As for California, GasBuddy and AAA said the average price per gallon has not reached between $6 and $7 at any point this year. While individual gas stations may charge more, statewide averages have remained below that range. California's average gas price last topped $6 in October 2023, according to GasBuddy and AAA data. The state's all-time high was $6.43 on June 16, 2022, GasBuddy data shows. A White House spokesperson told CBS News that Mr. Trump's "energy agenda has restored gas prices to historic lows across the country," and argued that California and other blue states are seeing higher prices due to "radical climate policies and high taxes." On the governor's website, Newsom pushes back on a University of Pennsylvania prediction that gas prices would rise by 65 cents or more "in the near term." He argues that two policy changes that took effect in July –- an annual inflation adjustment and updates to the state's fuel standard — would likely increase prices by only a few cents per gallon. The governor is correct that the state's gas excise tax rose by 1.6 cents per gallon due to the inflation adjustment. While suppliers pay the tax, the cost is often passed on to consumers. However, Newsom cites an expert's outdated 5- to 8-cent-per-gallon figure when estimating the impact of changes to the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. That expert, Colin Murphy of the Low Carbon Fuel Policy Research Initiative at University of California, Davis, told CBS News he now estimates the impact to be around 8 to 9 cents per gallon. Still, Murphy said, an increase as large as 65 cents would require a "jaw-droppingly implausible combination of unlikely events." Newsom disputes disputes a prediction from one energy specialist that gas prices could spike to $8.43 per gallon in 2026 due to the closure of two key oil refineries in California. He said the projection, which he called "unscientific," comes from a May report by USC professor Michael Mische, whom Newsom says has ties to the oil industry and the government of Saudi Arabia. Mische noted in a statement to CBS News that his models would produce lower estimates today based on current information and other refinements to his calculations. He disputed the governor's claim that he had a conflict of interest, stating that his work for the Saudi Arabian government focused on its transition away from petroleum. Newsom cites experts from Stanford University's Institute for Economic Policy Research to support his claim that refinery closures would create negligible increases on gas prices. The analysis focused on the closure of a single refinery and found that while it would likely have little effect on gas prices, at the upper range of their estimate it could potentially raise prices by up to 15 cents per gallon. However, Reuters reported that California officials are now attempting to find a buyer for a refinery owned by Valero in Benicia, near San Francisco, to prevent its closure. The decision highlights concerns about the potential impact it could have on the fuel supply and prices. A July report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a semi-independent agency under the Department of Energy, projects a 17% loss in California's refining capacity with the closures of Valero's and Phillips 66's refineries in Benicia and Los Angeles, respectively. The agency said this supply loss won't be easily offset given the state's limited connectivity to other refinery hubs around the country. Although new state policies may help to limit price volatility, the EIA projects a "small increase" in West Coast retail gas prices next year due to the closures.
Wall Street Journal
9 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Perfects the Art of Making Powerful People Squirm on Camera
President Trump waited for the lights to dim to show a politically charged film to visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He sat patiently until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy exploded after being lectured by Vice President JD Vance. And on Thursday, Trump confronted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell with a piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket, alleging construction cost overruns. In each instance, TV cameras were rolling, providing coverage of Trump's target squirming or arguing with the president of the United States.
