Gov. Katie Hobbs says she won’t use state resources to help out at the Grand Canyon even if there is a ripple effect on the Arizona economy from the National Park Service layoffs.
The governor lashed out Friday at the “rash and irrational decisions’’ by the Trump administration in cutting federal spending. She said the state has taken action where she believes it has legal standing to challenge them.
But that doesn’t include having the state take a role in dealing with the 10 layoffs of National Park Service employees at the Grand Canyon, Hobbs said. They are among 1,000 employees laid off by the service. Four of those who lost their jobs were working at Grand Canyon National Park’s entrance, which has led to longer wait times, the Governor’s Office said.
Hobbs, in a social media post last week, called that “a slap in the face for Arizonans and all who love to come here.’’
“Last year, nearly 5 million people visited Grand Canyon National Park,’’ she wrote. “The Trump administration’s removal of essential workers undermines our economy and ability to showcase one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.’’
But Hobbs said Friday the state won’t help out even if it would ease the lines, help visitors and protect the economy. The key is who picks up the tab.
“You’re talking about using state dollars to pay federal workers,’’ Hobbs said.
“There is no guarantee that we would be reimbursed for that,’’ she said. “I certainly am not interested in bailing out the Trump administration for dumb decisions they make, like cutting off funding and staff for one of the largest tourist attractions in the country.’’
The Grand Canyon is known as a summer hotspot for tourists, but the National Park is also a popular winter attraction for snowy snapshots with smaller crowds.
There is precedent, however, for state intervention.
In 1995, the park, and others across the nation, were shuttered when Congress failed to enact a budget for the new fiscal year.
Then-Gov. Fife Symington initially sent a contingent of National Guard troops and state park officials to reopen the park in what was widely seen as a media event. They were turned away.
But Symington did manage to strike a deal with the Park Service ahead of a second showdown that year to have the state front the $17,000-a-day cost of at least keeping part of the park — through Mather Point — available to visitors. That continued for 21 days.
The purpose, Symington said at the time, was to prevent the closure from causing greater harm to the Arizona economy.
What’s happening now is somewhat different. The park technically remains open.
But word of the delays here and elsewhere has become a national story. And that raises concern that some people who otherwise would come to Arizona to visit the park will choose to stay away for now.
“Yes, the Grand Canyon is a very important tourist destination for Arizona’s economy,’’ Hobbs said. “It brings jobs. It brings people spending money here.’’
This screenshot from a National Park Service webcam taken Friday afternoon shows a long line of vehicles waiting at the south entrance to the Grand Canyon.
But she said that without the promise of reimbursement from the feds she’s not interested in getting involved.
The Democratic governor brushed aside a question of whether there was something else in her decision not to intercede, including that having the parks in chaos looks bad for Republican President Donald Trump.
“That’s not a consideration,’’ she said. What is, Hobbs said, is whether she believes that doing so is “what’s best for Arizonans.’’
“When there’s opportunity to work with the Trump administration, like on border security, we will,’’ she said. “When they’re making decisions that are bad for Arizonans, I’m going to speak up about them.’’
There is precedent for the governor saying reimbursement would be required.
When Symington inked his deal with the feds in 1995, he got a commitment for the state to get back its up-front costs when Congress finally adopted a budget.
That also occurred in 2018 when then-Gov. Doug Ducey had a similar agreement with the National Park Service to use funds from the state’s Parks and Tourism departments.
And Jan Brewer, his predecessor, spent $651,000 in state money to keep the canyon open during a federal government shutdown in 2013.
But there’s a key difference.
In the prior cases, the parks were being shuttered temporarily while the president and Congress were negotiating a new budget. There never was any doubt that the parks, legally unable to operate without a signed federal budget, would reopen afterward.
In this case, however, the Trump administration has simply ordered wholesale cuts in the funding of not just the Parks Service but a host of other government agencies, with no understanding of restoring funds at any given time in the future.
