U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse has introduced two new bills aimed at reversing recent staffing cuts at the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service as both agencies face further layoffs ahead of the busy summer season, according to a statement released Tuesday.

The Protect Our Parks Act and Save Our Forests Act would require the restoring of funds and rehiring of employees terminated under the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which critics say has left national parks and forests dangerously understaffed.

Neguse, the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, represents Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as the Arapaho, Roosevelt and White River National Forests. He argues the staffing reductions have impaired wildfire prevention, search-and-rescue operations and basic maintenance at public lands, putting communities and visitors at risk. 

“Coloradans are sounding the alarm: the Trump Administration’s federal funding and purging of the workforce have made our national parks and forests less safe and more prone to disaster. This is simply unacceptable,” said Neguse in the statement. 

The legislation is co-led by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman (California), Sarah Elfreth (Maryland) and Andrea Salinas (Oregon), with Sens. Mark Kelly (Arizona) and John Hickenlooper (Colorado) championing the bills in the Senate. 

Conservation groups, including the League of Conservation Voters and The Wilderness Society, have endorsed the measures, citing the urgent need to restore staffing and protect America’s public lands as summer approaches.