California’s 28 national parks drew over 36 million visitors in 2023, generated $3.2 billion from visitor spending, 39,700 jobs, and $2 billion in wages and benefits. Despite record park attendance (325 million people) and an unparalleled approval rating (76%), the Trump and DOGE cuts did not spare park employees from mass layoffs.
To make these cuts even more mind-boggling, national parks generated $55.6 billion for the U.S. economy in 2023—an increase year over year—with California contributing nearly 10% of that total ($5.6 billion). If Washington is going to neglect California’s beloved parks, should California rethink the deal?
The effects of these cuts have not gone unnoticed either. Look no further than Yosemite National Park in California, where scientists, rangers, IT workers, and leadership teams had to pick up shifts cleaning campground bathrooms due to delayed seasonal worker hiring.
California’s national parks are not only national treasures, they are engines for the state’s economy. The Golden Gate Bridge Recreation Area, a staple of the Bay Area, was one of only three parks nationwide to eclipse the billion dollar mark, bringing in $1.5 billion.
National parks are not the only instance where California has a disproportionate net impact, as the state only receives 86 cents back for every dollar it sends to Washington. Rethink the Deal was launched to spotlight this imbalance between what states like California send to Washington and what they get back. Follow along for new research and articles in the coming weeks and read more about the campaign below.
Time to Rethink the Deal?
There are striking imbalances between what states pay into the federal system and what they get back: states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington get back barely $0.60 for every dollar they send to Washington. And the poor Delaware taxpayers don’t even get back that much – only 57.25¢ for every dollar they pay into the system. Economic engines such as California (86¢), Texas (84¢), Florida (94¢), and Illinois (87¢), which rank among the largest contributors to the national economy, are effectively subsidizing the rest of the country.
Rethink the Deal is a 501c(4) nonprofit organization which aims to spark a broader discussion about the unfairness of some states paying more into the federal system than they receive in return. There is a persistent and structural inequity that leaves many states, high-performing economic states in particular, footing the bill for a federal system that may fail to serve their interests.