Planning to go camping this summer? Here’s how Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts could affect your plans

For all that has happened since President Donald Trump’s return to office, the ongoing story of Elon Musk’s DOGE is perhaps the most enduring.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has been welcomed into the Trump administration to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the newly-introduced body aimed at reducing spending. There have already been a number of DOGE controversies but the latest may have significant effects heading into the summer season.

A study from the United States Forest Service reports that close to 4,000 campsites across California could be closed this summer due to sudden cuts to federal spending. The New York Times cites a “wave of federal government firings and budget freezes” from DOGE as the source of the issue.

California has 18 national parks that often offer a more accessible and more varied option to the more well-known national parks.

Why might national forests close this summer?

The scale of these outdoor spaces is so vast that they requires a large network of staff to ensure that they remain safe and clean throughout the busy summer period. These areas are used for everything from motorcyclists to cattle ranchers, who use the areas to graze their animals.

An internal email from the Forest Service last month warned of “unforeseen impacts and changed conditions, as well as financial limitations may render some sites unsafe, or too challenging to open to full capacity in 2025.”

There is a real danger that they will not be open to the public this summer, or that authorities will be unable to maintain essential facilities in the area. Without the usual levels of staffing across forested areas of California there will be a heightened risk of wildfires, potentially putting local communities at risk.

For now, at least, Musk appears free to continue enacting his scattergun approach to budget cuts. Despite a recent study showing that 60% of voters disapprove of how DOGE is “dealing with workers employed by the federal government”, Trump has maintained that Musk has his support.

“We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people.”

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