WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that Kate Severson, a former Park Ranger at Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota impacted by Elon Musk’s gutting of the National Park Service, will be her guest at the President’s Joint Address to Congress on March 4th, 2025. The indiscriminate mass firing of all probationary federal employees by Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” forced the firings of more than 1,000 National Park Service employees. With these reductions in staffing, campsites and bathrooms won’t be cleaned, trails will become overgrown, trash won’t get picked up, and parks will become more dangerous for visitors.
Kate has been devoted to conservation work for more than a decade and worked as a park ranger for years in both Texas and Colorado before rising to become program manager of education and visitor services at Voyageurs. Kate’s job included educating park goers on the activities the park had to offer and helping to keep them safe.
“Park Rangers like Kate work tirelessly to keep us safe in some of Minnesota’s most wild and extreme areas, including Voyageurs National Park,” said Senator Smith. “Elon Musk indiscriminately fired masses of federal workers that serve essential roles to keep our communities safe, including Kate, all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. The story that Kate and Voyageurs National Park represent is one of absolute chaos for Americans since Donald Trump has taken office – he unilaterally appointed Elon Musk to one of the most powerful positions in the government without oversight. I’m glad she has the opportunity to share her story and I’m grateful to have her by my side at this Address to Congress.”
“As Americans, we all take great pride in these treasured places that are so rich in beauty and history – despite the fact that they are understaffed and underfunded,” said Kate Severson. “This recent loss and betrayal of our newest cohort of Park Service employees weakens our ability to protect these parks and preserve them for our children. I do not for one second believe these cuts were made to save the taxpayers money. Parks have well-documented benefits to the economy. Instead, these cuts were designed to make government agencies vulnerable, strip away the protections and services in place for the public good, and open the way for those looking to exploit our resources.”
You can read more about Kate’s story in the Star Tribune.
The President’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress will be held in the U.S. House of Representatives Chamber on Tuesday, March 4th.
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