Congressman Fong Joins Unpaid National Park Staff During Ongoing Government Shutdown

THREE RIVERS, Calif. – This week, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park to show his deep appreciation for the dedicated National Park Service employees who continue to maintain park grounds without pay during the ongoing government shutdown. Congressman Fong joined maintenance and road crews to assist with their removal of boulders blocking important water flow.

“It was an honor to spend the morning with some of our dedicated park employees and support the essential operations that keep our national treasures safe and open to the public,” said Congressman Fong (CA-20). “I want to thank the public servants here in Sequoia and Kings Canyon who continue to show up every day out of commitment to their work and service to our nation.

“We’re now nearing a month into a completely avoidable government shutdown, and the cost to federal employees, from our park rangers to our military members to our air traffic controllers, grows every single day. We must open the federal government immediately and I urge the Senate to end this shutdown, pay our federal workers, and get back to delivering services and results for the American people.”

During his visit, Congressman Fong met with grounds crews and park staff to thank them for the work they do to maintain operations at the park.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park employ hundreds of permanent and temporary staff who are responsible for maintaining nearly 866,000 acres of protected land that welcome approximately 2 million visitors annually. The ongoing shutdown has disrupted park operations, delayed maintenance, and strained staff morale as employees continue working without pay. Nationwide, 1.9 million federal civilian employees are now missing paychecks including air traffic controllers, border patrol agents, and park rangers.

Congressman Fong requested his congressional pay be withheld on September 30, knowing that hundreds of thousands of federal employees would not receive their paychecks if there were to be a lapse in appropriations.

On September 19, Congressman Fong and his House colleagues passed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026, a straightforward seven-week stopgap bill that would keep the government funded at current levels through November 21, giving both chambers additional time to finalize long-term appropriations bills. Despite having more than a dozen opportunities to do so, Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted against this clean, short-term funding extension, keeping our government shut.

For more information on federal resources available during the current government shutdown, please visit our website here.